York Region's new shopping bylaw 'horrible,' union leader says
New rules level playing field for storekeepers, chamber president says

Yorkregion.com
Lisa Queen
Nov. 22, 2017

Depending who you ask, allowing stores across York Region to open every day of the year except Christmas Day either levels the playing field for shopkeepers or is “horrible, hypocritical and disappointing.”

Beginning New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, York store owners will be able to open their doors 364 days a year, thanks to a new bylaw passed by regional council on Nov. 16.

Council chose Dec. 25 because provincial legislation dictates stores must be closed at least one day a year and Christmas Day was the time businesses were least likely to ask an exemption for under the Retail Business Holidays Act.

Debra Scott, president of the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce, applauded the move.

“The new holiday shopping bylaw is a perfect example of what happens when you remove unnecessary red tape from a complicated application process,” she said, referring to the old system which left a patchwork of exemptions across the region.

“Leaving the decision to businesses on whether to remain open or closed on all other eight remaining public holidays (beyond Dec. 25) respects the diversity of the York Region business community and ensures that businesses are all operating on a level playing field. Ultimately, it means that businesses have a greater say on when they’re open. And that’s a great thing, both for the businesses and their customers.”

But that’s not the way Paul Docherty sees it.

He is the executive assistant to the president of Woodbridge-based United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1006A, which represents more than 24,000 retail workers across the province including in York Region.

He called the bylaw “horrible, hypocritical and disappointing.”
Docherty is furious council didn’t consult with the community or the union and its member before adopting a bylaw that affects thousands of retail workers.

“We have members who work in retail, in grocery stores that do not want to work the last eight (statutory holidays),” he said.

“Quite simply, they want to be home with their families.”

While defenders of virtually wide-open shopping may say workers can decline to work statutory holidays, the reality is some employers will stop scheduling them to work or reduce their hours to push them out of the workplace if they don’t agree to take the shifts, Docherty said.

Meanwhile, those who feel pressured to work could face additional expenses on holidays such as child care and transportation costs, he said.

The bylaw is “hypocritical” because councillors who approved it won't be working on many statutory holidays, Docherty said.

The new bylaw seems to have hit a nerve with residents.

“Shopping is not more important than spending time with family,” a Facebook account under the name Maria Spalvieri said on York Region Media Group’s page, echoing the sentiment of most people who commented.

“Keep stores closed on major holidays. I would like to see stores go back to being closed on Sundays. We have six other days to shop.”

But an account called Derek Arnold supports the bylaw,

“Never thought a day was so important that you couldn’t go shopping on that day,” he said.