Based on coverage from CBC, Montreal Gazette, and MSN.
Quebec’s maple syrup industry is pushing regulators to come down hard on a producer at the centre of a “fake syrup” scandal, arguing the problem did not end when grocery stores pulled products off shelves.
In legal filings, the Quebec Federation of Maple Syrup Producers (PPAQ) alleges Steve Bourdeau and his company may be preparing to resell syrup that stores returned after tests found some cans were heavily cut with cane sugar, despite being labelled “pure maple syrup.”
Quebec maple syrup scandal expands again
Radio-Canada’s Enquête reported April 2 that five cans linked to Bourdeau and sold in Quebec and Ontario tested as being more than 50 per cent cane sugar. After that report, many grocery stores removed the product and offered refunds.
The PPAQ now says the returned product itself has become a new concern. In documents filed with Quebec’s agricultural and food marketing regulator, the Régie des marchés agricoles et alimentaires du Québec, the federation claims it has reason to believe adulterated syrup could be reintroduced to the market.
PPAQ alleges returned syrup being repackaged
According to the PPAQ filing, two inspectors visited Bourdeau’s sugar bush on April 16. They say they found pallets of syrup cans that had been returned from suppliers, and they observed staff transferring syrup out of those cans and into large containers.
The inspectors asked Bourdeau what he planned to do with the syrup. The filing quotes him as replying: “I’ll find a way to get rid of it.”
Based on that visit, the federation argues Bourdeau’s business is still active and intends to keep selling adulterated maple products, despite the publicity around the case. Bourdeau has not responded to the newer allegations in the court documents.
Request to Quebec regulator: seizure and shutdown
The PPAQ is asking the Régie to take sweeping steps: order Bourdeau to stop producing and marketing syrup, seize all syrup in his possession, and launch a full investigation into his operations.
On penalties, amounts vary between reports. One account says the federation is seeking $190,000 in fines and unpaid contributions. Another says the request includes more than $166,000 in penalties plus additional unpaid contributions.
The federation is also seeking a probe that would allow the regulator to compel documents and answers from Bourdeau, including records tied to sales and production. One report describes the requested review period as “the last three years,” while another frames it as an inquiry into activities from 2023 to 2026.
Allegations of black-market buying and quota violations
Beyond the adulteration claims, the legal filing paints a picture of a larger alleged scheme: buying, processing and selling syrup outside Quebec’s tightly controlled system, which requires producers to sell bulk syrup through a centralized agency that manages supply, pricing and quality.
The PPAQ alleges Bourdeau admitted earlier this month to buying syrup “on the black market” for years and purchasing more syrup than his own operation could produce. The group also claims he sold to hundreds of grocery stores in Quebec and beyond, and that syrup was distributed under multiple brand names, including products sold at chains such as IGA, Metro and Adonis.
The filing further alleges unusually high volumes of poorly documented direct sales, thousands of taps without required quotas, and claimed sales of more than one million cans a year, up to $5 million in revenue, that did not line up with declared production and paperwork.
What Bourdeau has said so far
Bourdeau has not responded to the most recent court-filed allegations, according to the coverage.
After Enquête’s initial report, he suggested the adulterated syrup might have come from an out-of-province supplier. The PPAQ says it contacted him immediately after the broadcast seeking information and documentation about sales and business practices, and he did not respond.
The regulator has not yet ruled on the federation’s request. For shoppers, the practical takeaway is that refunds have been offered by many stores, and the next major developments will come from what Quebec’s regulator orders and what any compelled investigation turns up.
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