Sally Ann Bells Silenced At Eaton Centre

It’s a Christmas tradition that goes back more than 100 years: Salvation Army volunteers ringing their bells to encourage donations to their kettles.

But while they will be jingling away at hundreds of locations across the city, at the Eaton Centre, the noisemakers are not allowed. The ban started about eight years ago.

“The issue got raised actually by accident,” said Captain Murray of the Salvation Army.

“Certainly the Salvation Army had no intention of making this an issue at all.”

The mall says it has fielded complaints from tenants about the bells, and doesn’t allow ambient noise or music.

“The purpose of the bells is to attract attention to the kettles,” mall spokesperson Brian O’Hoski said in an email.

“In a shopping centre such as Toronto Eaton Centre with so many generous shoppers, the bells are not needed to draw attention to the kettles, as they are a very successful fundraising campaign.”

Captain Murray says his charity appreciates the support from members of the public, and feels the public discussion about the bells will just help it reach its $4 million goal.

“The Christmas kettle is used to raise awareness of the marginalized, about poverty, about homelessness,” he said.

“In the last 24 hours through this bell-non-bell issue, if we’ve once again shed light on the issue of poverty, then I think it’s been successful.”