Essential services

Priority health services and social services
Institutions in the health and social services network, including 811 call centres
Pre-hospital emergency services, including the Corporation d'Urgences santé, first responders, ambulance service operators and healthcare communication centres
Private health consulting room or office, including dentists and optometrists (for emergency services only)
Pharmacies
Intermediate resources and family-type resources
Private seniors' residences
Individuals, enterprises and organizations providing services to the elderly, to the disabled and to the vulnerable, in particular as part of the direct allocation—service employment paycheque measure
Specialized resources offering accommodation for vulnerable groups and their relatives (domestic violence, vagrancy, cancer, addicts housed in community or private resources, palliative and end-of-life care, the underprivileged, immigrants, the elderly, the mentally ill, mother and child, prenatal and postnatal groups, young people in difficulty and their families, people with an intellectual or physical deficiency or an autism spectrum disorder, victims of crime)
Héma-Québec
Transplant Québec
Canadian Red Cross
Institut national de santé publique du Québec
Wholesalers and manufacturers of medication accredited by the Minister of Health and Social Services (including supply and distribution)
Medical and pharmaceutical laboratories and research centres
Enterprises manufacturing vaccines or by-products to produce vaccines
Suppliers, distributors and co-contractors in the health and social services network
Independent placement agencies in the field of health services and social services
Private IV clinics
Joint procurement groups
Public security services
Police departments and police forces, including emergency call dispatch centres (operated by a municipality or the Sûreté du Québec)
Fire services
Correctional services
Special constables
Highway controllers
Wildlife protection officers
Security agencies
Forest firefighters and all types of professionals providing support for civil security operations
Communication services
Enterprises involved in environmental emergencies
Government services and other priority activities
Childcare workers and support staff for emergency childcare services
Online higher education
Suppliers of goods and services for underprivileged citizens
Food inspection and food quality
Waste collection and residual materials management
Government air services
Suicide prevention centres
Assistance services for victims of domestic violence
Services deemed essential by municipal organizations (administration, public works, etc.)
Food banks
Veterinarian clinics and agronomists
Care for live animals kept in captivity:
  • Production and distribution of medications, vaccines and medical equipment for veterinary medicine
  • Laboratories and animal health research centres
  • Inspection and monitoring of animal health and crops
Courts of justice and administrative tribunals, for matters they deem urgent
Legal services (lawyers, notaries, bailiffs, translators and other workers)
Professional orders – public protection component
Priority union activities
Maintenance and operation of strategic infrastructure
Energy production, supply, transmission, transportation and distribution (hydroelectricity, fossil fuels and wind energy, biomass energy)
Maintenance of essential public infrastructures in proper working order (bridges, municipal buildings, etc.)
Construction, maintenance and upkeep of essential activities in connection, in particular, with public and private infrastructures that may create a risk for public health and safety (private dams, management of hazardous and radioactive waste, etc.)
Sanitary services and supply chains (for example water treatment plants)
Computer resources (security, maintenance, urgent needs in the current situation)
Data centres
Priority manufacturing activities
Food production (for example agricultural operations, food processing, drink production, slaughterhouses, market-garden vegetable and horticultural production, fisheries and commercial aquaculture)
Production of inputs necessary for priority sectors
Manufacture of medical instruments
Manufacture of chemicals
Manufacture of sanitary products
Manufacture of micro-electronic components
Manufacturing and maintenance in the defence sector
Priority commercial enterprises
Grocery stores and other food retailers
Pharmacies
Convenience stores
Stores not in a mall (offering grocery, pharmacy or hardware products)
Businesses supplying agricultural operations (machinery, fertilizer, etc.)
Société des alcools du Québec and Société québécoise du cannabis
Furniture and household appliances (online or telephone sales only)
Funeral services business and cemetery
Restaurants (drive-through, take-out and delivery only)
Hotels to accommodate persons returning to Québec and not having a fixed residence
Cleaners, laundries and laundromats
Medical and orthopaedic supply firms
Suppliers of pet food and supplies
Moving firms
Work equipment (safety and protection)
Products, parts and other equipment necessary for transportation and logistics services
Media and telecommunications services
Telecommunications (network and equipment)
Cable services
Printing (only for newspaper printing)
National media
Local media
Communications agencies (advertising, production, feedback)
Banking, financial and other services
Financial services (financial institutions, automatic teller machines and other payment methods)
Insurance (telephone services)
Payroll services
Accounting services
Financial market and stock exchange services
Placement agencies
Construction sector services
Construction firms, for emergency repairs or to ensure safety
Electricians, plumbers and other trades (emergency services only)
Equipment rental firms
Building maintenance and upkeep services
Cleaning, upkeep and pest management
Building maintenance (elevators, ventilation, alarm systems, etc.)
Household appliance maintenance and repair
Priority services in the field of transportation and logistics
Public transit services and passenger services
Ports and airports
Maintenance of locomotives, aircraft and boats and essential air operations (air transportation)
Supply and distribution of foodstuffs, grocery stores and convenience stores
Transportation, storage and distribution of goods
Snow removal and road maintenance
Service stations, vehicle maintenance and repair, tow truck firms, trucks and specialized equipment, and roadside assistance
Remunerated passenger transportation, paratransit services and rental car firms
Postal, courier and parcel delivery services
Bicycle repair shops

One mission. Concrete actions.

Read all about how we work to support and inform you. Our vision and values guide us as we carry out our role.

Veuillez patienter