Quebec home improvement retailer Canac has partnered with Maxi (Quebec’s counterpart to No Frills) and Yum Yum Chips to create a commemorative line of potato chips in honour of the retailer’s 150th anniversary. The snack’s flavour is humorously named “Plain Gypsum with Pool Salt.”

The launch of the chips was announced April 1, sowing scepticism among consumers given Canac’s history of humorous campaigns, Julia Larivière, of communications firm Alinea, told Le Journal de Montréal.

AD Canada has announced that Clarington Building Supplies in Ontario’s Durham region will join effective May 1.

The business is a specialty gypsum dealer serving the eastern region of the Greater Toronto Area. Its offerings include drywall, plaster, joint compounds, and ceiling materials.

Pictured L to R: Ryan Farrell, Director of Operations, RONA Moncton; Kris Warren, VP, RONA Moncton; Garry Stokes, store manager, RONA Moncton; Alain Ménard, SVP, RONA affiliated dealers, RONA inc.; Bernie Gauthier, VP of Operations, RONA affiliated dealers, RONA inc.; and Scott Wilson, director of business development, RONA affiliated dealers.

RONA inc. has announced the grand opening of a new 50,000-square-foot RONA Moncton store featuring a drive-thru lumber yard. Situated along the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick, the location welcomed leaders from the RONA dealer support team, partners, and store employees on April 23 for the traditional board-cutting ceremony. The latest store opening represents an investment of $10 million from Terraine Capital, which owns four other RONA stores in the Maritime provinces, and created more than 70 local jobs.

“Halifax, Charlottetown, and Moncton are some of the fastest-growing Canadian cities, therefore it’s important to stand out in this highly competitive market. We are now well-established, and I strongly believe our building centre in Moncton will become the destination of choice for local construction and home improvement projects,” says Adam Barrett, owner of Terraine Capital.

“The retail market is constantly changing. Adam and his team have been able to adapt and stand out in a way that benefits their customers. We are impressed by Adam’s great leadership, as well as of his team’s, in ensuring his business expansion from the past year,” added Alain Ménard, senior vice-president, RONA Affiliated Dealers at RONA inc.

Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) has found a new buyer. The Globe and Mail is reporting that MEC has agreed to sell a majority stake to Ontario textile manufacturing executive and real estate investor Tim Gu.

The purchase will bring MEC back under Canadian ownership. The company, which is currently owned by Los Angeles-based private investment firm Kingswood Capital, experienced steady revenue losses over the past two years and debts totalling more than $89 million.

“We can confirm it’s a Canadian buying group,” MEC spokesperson Jo Salamon told the Globe and Mail.

The deal will dissolve the member-owned co-operative structure the company has operated under since 1971.

The latest Hardlines podcast is now live.

In this episode, Peter Turkstra, third-generation owner of 12-store Turkstra Lumber, a pro dealer in Southern Ontario, talks about the ills that, all of a sudden in 2025, afflict the industry.

Most of them are courtesy of the American administration, or more properly the one man who has caused them, Peter says. But he also reflects on municipal development charges, the slowdown in housing starts, and consumers having their confidence shaken.

Watch our interview with Peter Turkstra here.

Check out all our podcasts here!

West Fraser Timber Co. reported Q1 sales of US$1.46 billion, up from $1.40 billion a year earlier. Earnings of $42 million reversed a $62 million loss in the comparable period of 2024. “Demand uncertainty for wood building products … has only been magnified recently by a U.S. administration that has both threatened and imposed higher lumber duties and punitive tariffs on many of the products we export from Canada to the U.S.,” CEO and president Sean Fraser said in a release.

The latest Hardlines podcast goes live this Wednesday. In this episode, Peter Turkstra, third-generation owner of 11-store Turkstra Lumber, a pro dealer in Southern Ontario, talks about the ills that, all of a sudden in 2025, afflict the industry. Most of them are courtesy of the American administration, or more properly the one man who has caused them, Peter says. But he also reflects on municipal development charges, the slowdown in housing starts, and consumers having their confidence shaken.

Check out all our podcasts here!

Castle Building Centres Group recently announced the winners of its 2024 Vendor Excellence Awards. Castle shareholders have the opportunity to nominate Castle vendors for exceptional performance and commitment to building a strong relationship with dealers.

Doman Building Materials and Taiga Building Products (pictured) won in the national awards category. All Weather At Home and Gentek Building Products won in the Western Canada category. Rapid Nail Canada Inc. and Sika won in the Central Canada category. Extreme Windows and Entrance Systems and Global Windows and Doors won in the Atlantic Canada category.

RONA inc. has been named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers—for the fifth year in a row. The national competition, organized each year by Mediacorp, evaluates companies that distinguish themselves through their outstanding sustainable development initiatives and environmental awareness efforts they implement within their organizations. Initiatives can include programs that aim to care for the environment and reduce the environmental footprint.

“Much of this recognition is due to the hard work and commitment of our employees, all of whom contribute to our ambitious environmental goals and to the continuous improvement of our practices,” says Mélanie Lussier, head of communications, public affairs and sustainable development at RONA inc. “Our inclusion on this list shows that our hard work is paying off.”

The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) 2025 released its Q1 Housing Market Index (HMI). The index indicates 11 straight quarters of negative sentiment since dropping from the post-pandemic highs in 2021 and early 2022.

CHBA’s single-family HMI is 26.4 for Q1 2025 (out of 100). The organization noted in the report that this score remains close to the index’s record low of 24.6 in Q4 2023 and is down 8.5 points from the score from the same time last year.

The single-family HMI at 7.4 and the multi-family HMI are 2.9 in Ontario, while in B.C.,  the level sits at 17.2 for single-family sales and 24.8 for multi-family sales.