The city of Montreal is hosting a petition asking for changes to how Publisac and other fliers are distributed.
That has the company that prints and delivers the weekly circulars says the demands would force it to shut down.
The city of Montreal accepted the petition and published it on its website this week. If it gets 15,000 signatures the city will examine the issue in further detail.
The petition calls for Publisac and other fliers to only be delivered on an opt-in basis to homeowners and tenants who place a sticker on their doors.
It also wants to see the plastic bags that hold the fliers replaced with a different product.
The petition also wants to see the city of Montreal fine companies that don't comply with city regulations on circulars.
TC Transcontinental, which produces Publisac, said some of the demands don't make sense, while others would force it out of business.
President Francois Olivier told the Canadian Press that the plastic bags it uses for its Publisac are recyclable, and are labelled as such.
He also said that if his company was limited to distributing advertisements only to residents who explicitly subscribed to such a service, it would have to close.
Under current regulations any resident can opt out of receiving unsolicited fliers by placing a 'no junk mail' sticker on their mailbox. Such stickers are available at Eco-Quartier offices across Montreal.
Olivier also pointed out that local advertising keeps money in the community.
