BY: ZOE MELNYK

Canada may be known for its easy going, low key demeanour, but there is an issue within Canada’s borders that is taking away people’s right to privacy and ruining the lives of private producers in a multi-million dollar business.

It’s not drugs or prostitution, but many consider the seriousness of the issue to be of the same caliber.

It’s maple syrup, and it is ruining the lives of sugar shack owners across Quebec.

Photograph by: Vincenzo D’Alto

The issue is admittedly difficult to take seriously. You can almost hear Americans laughing from across the border. Despite the name of the “maple syrup black market,” this is actually becoming a growing concern on protecting people’s right to privacy and controlling their own products.

To quickly get you up to speed on the maple syrup industry in Canada, specifically Quebec, here’s what you need to know. Quebec produces approximately 70% of the world’s maple syrup, with over 7,400 maple syrup producers in the one province alone.

Fifteen years ago, Quebec created the provincial syrup cartel to regulate maple syrup quotas and surpluses and to stabilize prices in the maple syrup market.

Private producers never imagined that this organization, originally created to help protect workers, would turn into a controlling federation that would monopolize the market and closely analyze each and every sugar shack.

Quebec produces approximately 70% of the world’s maple syrup, and created the provincial syrup cartel to monopolize the market and closely analyze each and every sugar shack.

Basically, Quebec’s maple syrup union, Fédération des producteurs acéricoles du Québec, is intensifying surveillance on sugar shacks and cracking down on any businesses found selling their maple syrup privately.

This is partially due to the fact that provinces like Ontario have almost doubled their maple syrup production over the past decade while Quebec’s production shows signs of significant decrease. New competition that threatens Quebec’s monopoly is causing the federation to go into a sort of frenzy over the regulations placed on the producers.

The federation is known to show up unannounced at any time to search sugar shacks, and if any evidence is found to prove that the owner is privately selling, the shack is shut down and placed under 24/7 surveillance. The owner is also given a fine, often times worth thousands of dollars. Not to mention the estimated $1,000 budget to pay the guards every day. Money that could be used to benefit the hungry, the homeless, students’ tuition—literally anything else.

Steve Côté is an example of such treatment, after being shut down by the federation, Côté received a fine of $424,000. In comparison, the first fine for possession of Marijuana is $1,000, but can be as low as $150. So, in Quebec, it costs less to be caught for weed than it does to sell maple syrup privately.

In Quebec, it costs less to be caught for weed than it does to sell maple syrup privately.

Photo by: Laura Pedersen

Private sugar shack owners are calling for a change, but since the justice system is siding with the federation, the maple syrup producers requesting the right to privately sell are being called “rebels.” Rebels, for wanting to sell their own product that they produce on their own land.

The question is, should producers continue to follow the federation as the law requires, or is there a need for change? When privately selling maple syrup has a heavier punishment than possessing or using drugs, does that indicate an error in the justice system?

With tensions growing between the two forces, the federation and the producers, we will be sure to see a revolution in Canada’s maple syrup industry.

When selling maple syrup privately carries a heavier punishment than selling drugs there is a clear error in the justice system. Should producers continue to follow the federation as the law requires, or is there a need for a maple syrup rebellion?

Photo by: Laura Pedersen

Sources: kaltura.com, vancouversun.com, wordpress.com,