Publisac grocery flyers to reach only those Montreal households that ask for them

The mayor says about 800,000 flyers and ads reach Montreal doorsteps each week, amounting to more than 41 million flyers per year that wind up in recycling depots and landfills.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said Monday grocery store flyers will be delivered only to residents who request them, marking a win for environmentalists and prompting criticism from the company behind the advertisements.

Starting in May 2023, those who still want to receive the flyer bundles — dubbed the Publisac in Quebec — will have to slap a sticker on their door, Plante said. The bags will no longer be plastic.

The move follows a public consultation by the city and years of criticism from environmental groups demanding a ban on Publisac deliveries.

But TC Transcontinental, a Montreal-based packaging and printing company, says an opt-in system would effectively end its flyer distribution due to prohibitive costs and complexity.

The 46-year-old firm says the current opt-out model, where residents can unsubscribe by contacting the company via its Publisac website, is “simple and effective.”

It says the deliveries currently go out to more than 200,000 Quebecers, including 120,000 Montreal households, allowing them to take advantage of grocery deals.

“The Publisac, in addition to giving consumers access to discounts, distributes local newspapers at an advantageous cost, helps merchants to attract customers and compete against the giants of e-commerce, and supports thousands of direct and indirect jobs,” Patrick Brayley, vice-president of Transcontinental’s distribution segment, said in a statement.

“We intend to assert our rights and those of our customers if necessary.”