P.E.I. Sunday shopping to be proclaimed Dec. 24
Year-round Sunday shopping will come to Prince Edward Island with the proclamation of new legislation on Christmas Eve.
Since 2007, expanded Sunday shopping on the Island meant stores were open only from Victoria Day to Christmas, but an opposition bill that passed third reading Tuesday night removed Canada's last Sunday shopping restrictions.
A free vote was allowed on the bill, which resulted in a tie. Speaker Kathleen Casey cast the deciding vote. With some legislation, government can delay proclamation of the bill. But the Dec. 24 proclamation date is written into this legislation.
Boxing Day is the first Sunday after Christmas, but stores will still be closed that day as it remains listed as a statutory holiday. Expanded Sunday shopping will begin Jan. 2.
After the bill was passed, Premier Robert Ghiz said he plans to bring in an additional law that will grandfather workers hired before this change. That will allow those employees to choose whether they work on Sundays.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some additional legislation come forward to make sure we protect the workers," said Ghiz.
"The way the old legislation was written was to protect the workers that had already been already hired on at these box stores or other stores, but now it doesn't cover the workers that have been hired since the last piece of legislation to when this legislation came in."
Ghiz said he will try to bring in that law before this session of the legislature closes.
Merchant reaction mixed
The vote marks the end of a decades-long fight for Reagh Ellis, owner of the Marks Work Warehouse franchise on the Island.
"We do know that there are a net increase in sales when we are open on Sundays or we wouldn't do it. And it's the freedom for people to do what they want to do," said Ellis.
The new law does not mean all stores will be open all the time. David Cooper has owned Cooper's Red and White General Store in Eldon for 50 years. His store is only open on Sundays during the summer tourist season, and he likes it that way.
"My staff don't like working Sundays, and I don't make them work Sundays, because life's too short," said Cooper.
"Working six days a week, open 13 hours a day, should be enough for people to shop."
The second reading of the bill also passed on a tie broken by the speaker. There was some pressure from religious groups to change votes against Sunday shopping on the third vote, but votes were unchanged.