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HomeAdvocacy & PolicyOntario: Industry

Advocacy & Policy

Ontario: Industry

Update - Review of Holiday Shopping in the City of Toronto

Issue:

On November 8th, the City of Toronto’s Economic Development Committee recommended the following changes to the Holiday Shopping by-law:

1. 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.
2. 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.

Objective:

To ensure that the City of Toronto’s Holiday Shopping by-law does not discriminate against any class or size of retailer.

Background:

The Economic Development Subcommittee on Holiday Shopping undertook a comprehensive consultation of holiday shopping. A report from the Subcommittee was submitted to the meeting of the Economic Development Committee, recommending the permission for all retail business establishments within the City of Toronto to open on Victoria Day.

Under the City of Toronto, Municipal Code Chapter 510, Holiday Shopping, retail stores are currently 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:

The Economic Development Committee’s recommendations above will be sent to City Council for approval at the next meeting, scheduled for November 27, 2012.

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.