Commissioner recommends fine for former Liberal MNA who violated ethics code
Former Liberal MNA Sona Lakhoyan Olivier’s use of her riding office for partisan purposes violated the National Assembly’s ethics code, as did her attempts to impede the investigation. In her recently published report on the subject, ethics commissioner Ariane Mignolet recommended Lakhoyan Olivier be fined $8,000, The Montreal Gazette reported. Lakhoyan Olivier, who represents the Chomedy riding in Laval, has sat as an independent since the investigation into her conduct during the party’s leadership race was opened in December 2025.
Current Liberal leader Charles Milliard has said that she will not be accepted back into the party or allowed to run under their banner in this fall’s elections.
The assembly will vote on whether to follow the commissioner’s recommendations in the coming days. This is only the second time since 2018 that the commissioner has recommended a fine.
QS targets rent increases, problem landlords at convention
Left-wing separatist party Québec Solidaire (QS) held its convention this past weekend, with a focus on housing affordability, The Canadian Press reported.
The party, which currently holds 11 seats of 125 in the National Assembly, pledged that if it forms government it would cap rent increases in line with inflation.
“The objective is not to target small landlords,” said QS co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal, noting that landlords would be able to appeal to a provincial tribunal if they wish to raise rents more than the limit.
The party is also proposing to strengthen penalties for landlords who break the law, increasing fines significantly for each repeated offence.
“The laws are there, but they are almost never enforced seriously,” said that party’s housing critic Andrés Fontecilla.
Familiprix halts energy drink sales amid calls for teen ban
The large Quebec pharmacy chain Familiiprix announced last week that it would be banning energy drinks from its shelves, The Canadian Press reported, as advocates in the province are pushing to ban the sale of the drinks to minors.
The family of a teen who died after drinking a Red Bull while on ADHD medication in 2024 have launched a petition to ban the sale of the highly caffeinated drinks to those under 16, attracting more than 35,000 signatures as of last week. A coroner’s report concluded that the interaction between the teen’s medication and the energy drink caused the arrhythmia that led to his death.
Quebec’s order of pharmacists has also called for a ban on sales to minors.
Familiprix, which has more than 450 affiliated locations across Quebec and New Brunswick, issued a statement that says it will halt energy drink sales “until public authorities establish more regulated access parameters for these products.”
