Several voices are being raised in the Rivière-du-Loup region against the imposition of a technological transition in the restaurant and bar sector regarding the transmission of financial data to Revenu Québec. For certain entrepreneurs, including Pier-Olivier Ruest, co-owner of 403.com and Pascal Gagnon, co-owner of Complexe le Triangle, the bill reached a little over $100,000.
The deadline to complete this change to a new cloud environment for the sales recording module (MEV-WEB) is May 31, 2025. This technological transition has been underway since November 1, 2023. It concerns approximately 20,000 sales establishments. catering (including bars), throughout Quebec, according to Revenu Québec.
“The government is forcing us to change equipment, which is currently very functional, at exorbitant costs,” laments Pier-Olivier Ruest, co-owner of 403.com, which includes Le Roof, la P’tite Grenouille, and le Loft . He believes that these new measures imposed by the Quebec government are likely to close several establishments.
“We want to do things well, but we have to give the industry a little “softness”. “More restaurants have closed than have opened in the last two years,” adds Pier-Olivier Ruest. He fears that technological change will devalue his current equipment. In addition, some companies will also have to change their entire IT system, which cannot support MEV-WEB.
“Our equipment at the moment [le Azbar] It’s been working for a long time, and it’s the most reliable for us, the bar owners, adds Pascal Gagnon, also president of Espace Centre-Ville. We would like the government to force companies to make MEV-WEBs compatible with the machines that are currently used,” he summarizes. The monthly costs of a user license linked to the cloud data transmission service could also be added to the costs of the transition.
MOBILISATION
The president and general director of the Chamber of Commerce of the MRC of Rivière-du-Loup (CCMRCRDL), Claudette Migneault, explains that restaurateurs and bar owners represent 8% of the local economy, which makes them an important economic center. “They have been hit hard during the pandemic. They experienced losses and a slowdown, added to inflation. We forget it, but they had to repay their COVID loans [de 40 000 $] last January,” she recalls. “We are adding a burden to a sector which is already weakened and in a precarious situation. There is a pressure that comes with that, not to mention the other challenges to overcome.
Ms. Migneault wonders why the option of optimizing the technological systems already in place in order to meet government requirements is not considered. “We are asking them to all migrate to one and the same system.”
The Chamber of Commerce of the MRC of Rivière-du-Loup is demanding a one-year moratorium so that businesses can make the switch and the Quebec government offers them better support. “We want costs to be reduced and the government to show flexibility and flexibility. We are supporting this sector, which is so important for our economy.”
A letter, signed by around ten restaurateurs, businesses and owners, was sent to the Member of Parliament for Rivière-du-Loup-Témiscouata, Amélie Dionne, by the Chamber of Commerce of the MRC of Rivière-du-Loup (CCMRCRDL) in order to to put forward their argument.
“We are asking for the support of our MP through representations that she must make to the government of Quebec […] We want to make them aware of the importance of reviewing their deployment strategy.”
The companies represented by the CCMRCRDL want the Quebec government to deploy a viable and effective communication and implementation strategy regarding the transition to MEV-WEB.
