All Stores Could Soon Be Open On Stat Holidays In Toronto
Posted February 20, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There may no longer be a holiday from shopping if some Toronto politicians get their way.
On Wednesday, the city’s Economic Council took a look at an idea that proposes all stores be allowed to keep their doors open on every statutory holiday except Christmas as a means to level the playing field across the city and boost tourism.
Under the current law, only shops in designated tourist areas – like the Yonge St. strip, the Eaton Centre and Yorkville – can legally open on a stat. Under the new proposal that would change.
Councillors were presented with three options: do nothing and leave the situation as it is, widen what counts as being part of the tourist area, or declare the entire city a tourist zone and let merchants everywhere compete equally for your dollar.
Proponents argue there’s a demand for holiday shopping, noting stores that are allowed to open are packed with people looking to spend their money. Some provinces, including British Columbia and Alberta, already allow the practice, and holiday weekends have traditionally been the excuse to hold big sales in the U.S.
Others note it’s unfair to let geography decide who gets an economic advantage.
“Unfortunately for the grocery retailers that also have pharmacies, we sometimes find because of our size or our location, that we’re required to close while other people are allowed to be open,” said Kim McKinnon with the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors.
But those opposed are also wondering what will happen to the workers who used to get the days off. While they may be paid extra for toiling on a stat holiday, it’s not yet clear how the city would prevent stores that want to open from pressuring employees into working on what would once have been a precious vacation day.
“We seem to be moving to that model on a gradual basis,” admitted Councillor A.A. Heaps, Scarborough Southwest. “I think there’s going to be a lot of people who work on those days and their considerations have to be given as well.”
And some small businesses worry they’ll be forced to open to try and compete with the bigger chains, which will reap all the advantages while they lose money.
Only Christmas Day would be off limits, and even then GTA residents have proven they like to shop. For the past two years, the Pacific Mall in Markham has opened for business on December 25th and as the only game in town, has been jammed by early bargain hunters and true last minute procrastinators.
In the end, the committee decided on a compromise that may not satisfy anyone. They amended the second option, voting to allow all businesses to open on a stat holiday – but only in the downtown core. The one exception: Christmas Day, when only pharmacies can conduct business as usual.
It’s expected that framework won’t stand up to the scrutiny of councillors, who will likely vote to apply the entire idea citywide when it comes up for a vote in early March. If it’s passed, the first stat holiday that could see the change take place would be March 21st – Good Friday.
- What happened to the law that mandated stores closings on stats, which has been in effect for decades? When the City of Toronto Act – the same legislation that allows City Hall to impose all those new taxes – was passed at Queen’s Park in 2006, the Retail Business Holiday Act no longer applied to Toronto, giving the city the option to rewrite the rules to suit its own needs.
Stat Holidays In Canada
New Year’s Day
Good Friday
Victoria Day
Canada Day
Labour Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
Boxing Day
Remembrance Day is a stat holiday in some provinces, but not Ontario.
