I want to stop my gym membership or my classes, am I allowed?
In the United States? This answer is Québec and Canadian law. The US side of this site answers different questions, state by state: different law, and different coverage. Go to the US side
Short answer
Yes, the Consumer Protection Act provides a cancellation right, but two distinct regimes apply and gyms fall under the physical fitness studio one. A contract made with a merchant who operates a physical fitness studio may be cancelled without charge or penalty before the merchant begins performing the principal obligation (s. 202), then, within a period equal to one-tenth of the intended duration, for no more than one-tenth of the total price (s. 203); its duration cannot exceed one year (s. 200). A contract for instruction, training or assistance that is not made with a physical fitness studio may instead be cancelled "at any time and at his discretion" (s. 193), the penalty being capped at the lesser of $50 or 10% of the price of the services not rendered (s. 195).
In detail
The line between the two regimes is written into the Act. Section 189 opens the subdivision on contracts for instruction, training or assistance "except contracts made by a merchant operating a physical fitness studio". And s. 198 defines a physical fitness studio as "an establishment providing goods or services designed to help improve a person's physical fitness through a change of weight, weight control, treatment, diet or exercise". A gym therefore falls under ss. 197 to 205, not under s. 193.
In that subdivision, several rules carry figures. The duration of the contract cannot exceed one year (s. 200). No payment may be collected before the merchant has begun performing, and payment cannot be collected in fewer than two approximately equal instalments (s. 201). Cancellation is free before performance begins (s. 202); after that, it remains available for a period equal to one-tenth of the intended duration, and the merchant may then exact no more than one-tenth of the total price (s. 203). It is done by the form attached to the contract or another written notice, and the contract is cancelled of right from the sending (s. 204). The merchant returns the sums owed within ten days (s. 205).
For a language course, a training program or a coaching or assistance service not offered by a fitness studio, the other regime applies: cancellation "at any time and at his discretion" by the form provided for in s. 190 or another written notice (s. 193), without cost or penalty if the merchant has not begun performing the principal obligation (s. 194), otherwise the price of the services already rendered plus a penalty limited to "the lesser of the following sums: $50 or a sum representing not more than 10% of the price of the services that were not rendered" (s. 195). Restitution is likewise made within ten days (s. 196).
Under both regimes, cancellation is a right of the consumer: it takes effect on the sending of the notice, without the merchant having to accept it.
What to document
The invoice or contract, with its date. The method of payment · a bank or card statement carries a date no one disputes. Exchanges with the merchant, with their timestamps. The condition of the goods when the problem appeared: a photograph carries its date; a recollection does not.
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Official sources
- art. 203 de la Loi sur la protection du consommateur (RLRQ c P-40.1) · read on 2026-08-09
Related questions
- Can I cancel my cellphone or internet contract before it ends?
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What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.