I saw a series of coupons for the Lord of the Rings Contest sponsored by Canadian Tire on the Ottawa Citizen newspaper in early December. After having my daughter spend half an hour to find the answers for skill-testing questions and to fill out the forms with name, address and phone number, I noticed the following fine print in very small font.
Contest open to Ontario Residents of the age of majority.
Well, we live in the province of Quebec, so we are apparently not eligible for this contest. This is not an isolated case, and the practice of restricting residency for coupons and contests is wide-spread.
Given the fact that merchandise at Ontario stores is available to Quebec residents and vice versa, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees interprovincial mobility rights, I would like to claim that laws and regulations allowing this type of discrimination for coupons and contests be abolished.
