Advocacy & Policy
Ontario: Human Resources
December 7, 2012
No Change to Holiday Shopping in the City of Toronto
Issue:
On November 28th, Toronto City council voted to not amend the Holiday Shopping bylaw.
Background:
On November 8th, the City of Toronto’s Economic Development Committee recommended the following changes to the Holiday Shopping by-law:
- All retail business establishments within the City of Toronto be permitted to open on Victoria Day, anytime between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
- For pharmacies, the allowance of "7,500 square feet" be replaced with "15,000 square feet", so that the total retail business area used for serving the public, or for selling or displaying to the public, is less than 15,000 square feet, which would allow these types of stores to open on all public holidays.
RCC pushed to ensure that the City of Toronto’s Holiday Shopping by-law did not discriminate against any class or size of retailer.
Current Status:
Under the City of Toronto, Municipal Code Chapter 510, Holiday Shopping, retail stores that are not designated as being in a tourist area, are required to be closed on the following nine public holidays: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Next Steps:
RCC will continue to push the necessity of a level playing field with Councillors to achieve our objective of creating a regulatory environment that allows the retailers to decide when their business should be open to serve customers, without restrictions based on size or category.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Gary Rygus, Director of Government Relations (Ontario), at grygus@retailcouncil.org or (416) 922-6678, ext 225; or Nadine Metwaly, Public Affairs Coordinator, at nmetwaly@retailcouncil.org or (416) 922-6678, ext. 232.
Retail Council of Canada |
Your RCC Ontario Advocate:
 |
| Gary Rygus, Director, Government Relations (Ontario) (416) 922-0553, ext. 225 grygus@retailcouncil.org |
