It appears that City Council will again discuss the bylaws which require grocery stores and other businesses to close on a statutory holiday. The CBC says that City staff has recommended yet again that the patchwork quilt of practices be regularized by permitting all stores to open. In the past, Council has not had the courage to do this. At present, large shopping centres such at the Eaton Centre are permitted to open under the guise that they are tourist areas. Many say this is a legal ruse and a simple sop to huge property owners like Cadillac Fairview. Nonetheless, it has been practiced for decades. At the same time, smaller businesses are left to wonder if they will be charged if they open. In the past few years, however, it has become fairly apparent that, without saying so, the City is not prepared to see businesses charged for opening on statutory holidays. Some legal opinion holds that this is because such a charge might lead to a constitutional challenge. The mishmash of bylaws might be found to be unfair — which they are — resulting in wholesale of invalidation of bylaws.
So CBC has decreed that forcing retail employees to work on Good Friday, Canada’s holiest and most important religious holy day is suddenly a priority. How unfortunate.