Amid this year’s chaotic news cycle, an encouraging story may not have made it onto your radar: Canada’s Grocery Code of Conduct came into effect on January 1, 2026. 

The country’s five biggest grocers (Costco, Empire, Loblaw, Metro, and Walmart) joined 150 others in signing on to the Code, which aims to bring greater transparency and stability to this essential industry. 

What you won’t see in mainstream news headlines is how this agreement between competitors and their suppliers came to be. That’s where the Ottawa Business Journal has stepped in, profiling the work of Intersol’s Marc Valois and team on facilitating the Grocery Code’s development.  

You can read the full article on the OBJ website: Meet Marc Valois and the Ottawa firm that helped hammer out a new grocery code of conduct 

For more about the Grocery Code of Conduct: 

Canada’s grocery code of conduct kicks in Jan. 1, with buy-in from 5 major grocers | CBC News 

Canada groceries: What is the grocery code of conduct? 

Canadian grocery industry’s new code of conduct takes full effect | Globalnews.ca