Should Tim Hortons repay all Canadians promised a boat? This Ottawa man thinks so

Gabrielle Huston · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 10, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Michel Leveillee is a loyal Tim Hortons customer.

The Ottawa antheral says helium visits 2 oregon 3 times a time for his ample double-double, and helium ever participates successful "Roll Up the Rim to Win" — the yearly promotion that gives customers the accidental to triumph prizes ranging from a doughnut to an all-inclusive vacation.

So when Leveillee became 1 of thousands of Canadians crossed the state past twelvemonth who were told successful an email they'd won a 2024 Targa 18 WT vessel and trailer, helium couldn't judge it.

"[There were] tears of joy," helium said. "And aft that came the tears of deception."

The wins had been a mistake. Tim Hortons reached retired to its customers by email, blaming "technical errors." 

Montreal-based instrumentality firm LPC Avocats then launched a class-action lawsuit, arguing the thousands of affected customers deserve to beryllium awarded the vessel and trailer oregon the prize's worth — astir $64,000, the steadfast estimates.

They had intended to correspond each Canadians. In June 2025, a justice ruled that the suit could spell guardant – but lone for Quebec residents, due to the fact that that state has stronger user extortion laws.

Leveillee said he'll be blessed for immoderate customers who tin get justice, but Tim Hortons should beryllium held liable for everyone who got the notifications.

"If bargain a java connected the Quebec broadside [of the Ottawa River], and past you play Roll Up the Rim and triumph successful Ontario, you're a victor nary substance what," helium said, noting helium often stops for java successful Gatineau, Que.

Ontario authorities 'not arsenic robust'

Leveillee and his wife want to combat the lawsuit extracurricular of Quebec, but the differences successful user extortion laws whitethorn marque it a risky endeavour for lawyers to instrumentality on.

LPC Avocats' ineligible statement was that Tim Hortons and its customers participate into a declaration done the Roll Up the Rim promotion. The lawsuit buys something, and Tim Hortons gives them a accidental to win, explained Joey Zukran, who owns the firm.

Under the Quebec Consumer Protection Act, a institution cannot assertion thing was a "mistake" arsenic their defence to get retired of the contract, Zukran said.

"It's not the user that's going to carnivore the work of that error," Zukran said. "It's the merchant. And that is the connection that the tribunal is sending large and wide by mode of this judgement." 

Because their statement was based connected Quebec's law, the justice ruled it cannot beryllium applied nationally, Zukran explained. Based connected his team's research, Zukran said helium believes the "question of error" is not arsenic wide successful the remainder of Canada arsenic it is successful Quebec.

Quebec has the champion user authorities successful Canada due to the fact that it's updated regularly, according to University of Ottawa instrumentality prof Gilles LeVasseur.

"The authorities successful Ontario is not arsenic robust [because] the mode we bash things is, if there's a crisis, we'll adhd to it," helium said.

Consumer extortion laws should beryllium modular crossed the country, LeVasseur argued, noting it volition go progressively important arsenic commercialized barriers are lifted betwixt provinces.

"The bittersweet portion [about] the mode we bash things successful Ontario [is that] consumers would privation to spot much of these existent measures of protection," helium said. 

'We're going to bash thing astir it'

Leveillee agrees that the aforesaid rules should use crossed Canada.

For him, the lawsuit is astir holding a ample corp to its word, connected behalf of the customers who went done an affectional roller coaster aft learning they mightiness person won life-changing money.

He's reached retired to immoderate different customers, hoping to enactment together, including 1 pistillate successful Cornwall, Ont., who said the wealth from the vessel could person paid disconnected her house.

"These large boys don't attraction astir bully aged Canadians that get up successful the greeting [and] go to work," helium said. "We're conscionable regular citizens, we're not lawyers ... but we're connected a roll. We're going to bash thing astir it."

Leveillee and his woman person besides been contacting lawyers successful Ontario, but they've only heard backmost from 1 who's interested successful the case.

Zukran said he's heard from some people who've told him different lawyers aren't consenting to instrumentality connected the hazard that LPC Avocats is shouldering — namely, to walk clip and resources connected a people enactment suit which volition lone wage the lawyers if they win.

Still, immoderate customers extracurricular Quebec who consciousness they person a lawsuit should effort to find a lawyer, helium recommended — noting $64,000 per idiosyncratic is "not a tiny claim."

"One of the things I emotion astir my occupation is that we get to clasp big, strong, large, affluent corporations accountable versus the small guy," Zukran said.

"And what did Tim Hortons bash successful this situation? They didn't adjacent connection their customers a escaped coffee."

CBC reached retired to Tim Hortons for comment, but they declined due to the fact that the substance is inactive successful court.