The following list came from the Montreal Viking Club which printed this list in 2008 of  where to buy and/or rent cross-country ski equipment around Montreal.

New equipment:

– Norway Nordic (514-457-9131) in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue
– André Jac Sport  (450-622-2410) in Laval
– Atmosphere chain (514-365-1286)
– Boutique Courir (514-499-9600) located downtown and Longueuil
– La Cordée (514-524-1106) in downtown, Laval,  St-Hubert
– Louis Garneau 2000 (450-677-1339) theme store in Longueuil
– Mountain Equipment Co-op (514-788-5878)
– Le Suroît Cycle et Ski  (450-455-0328) in Vaudreuil
–  Le Yeti(514-271-0773) is downtown

In the Laurentians:
– Boutique SRS (450-226-7821) in Morin-Heights
– Swisski (819-326-4077) in Ste-Agathe

New and used equipment:
– Play-it Again Sports chain (514-484-5150)
– Sports Aux Puces  (450-688-9001) Laval, Rosemere

For ski boot repairs:
Cordonnerie Monkland at 5630 Monkland (corner Oxford) in NDG
or just ask in your neighborhood shoe repair shop

article from www.vikingskiclub.ca/en/newsletter/2008-12.pdf

Q1 – Can I just expect to be able to just return a gift?

A purchase is like a contract you have made with a store. If they choose to change the terms, it is solely up to each business and not a consumer law. Don’t assume when you buy something you can just return it.

Q2 – So they don’t have to take it back?

They can choose to offer an exchange policy, a store refund, a one week or one month return allowance or none at all- a final sale.

Q3 – How can the customer know this? Are there any rules that a store must follow for returns policies?

– Posting information near the cash register or stamped on the receipt itself
– Ask the store what the policy is. Often after Christmas, there’s more leniency and some stores even have a stamp that they put on your receipt that allows gift recipient to return something  months later if you were an early shopper.

Q4 – What if it’s broken?

A defective product has to be returned to the manufacturer and it depends on the retailer’s policy who gets to return it. It is up to you to find out if you or they have to do this (preferably when you buy it).

Q5 – Any other important suggestions?

Make sure you are talking to the person that has the authority to remedy the situation. A spoonful of sugar really helps, so don’t be rude or super aggressive which will only turn them off.

If you send a note to your member of Parliament in Ottawa, they can arrange for special greetings to be sent for special occasions:

– Her Majesty the Queen will send out greetings for a 60th Anniversary or a 100-year or more birthday.
– The Governor General will do this for anniversaries from 50-59 years and birthdays from 90-99 years.
– The Prime Minister will send a note for 25 year anniversaries, 65th birthdays and every 5 years after that.
– Your member of Parliament will happily send out a greeting for any anniversary or birthday.

You need to provide two months notice for her Majesty the Queen, the Governor General and the Prime Minister.