Whole Foods in Ottawa to defy holiday shopping law
Lansdowne Park grocery store Whole Foods says it plans to stay open throughout the Easter weekend, despite a provincial law requiring most businesses to be closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
- Related: What's open and closed on Easter weekend in Ottawa
The Ontario Retail Business Holiday Act calls for stores to be closed on nine major holidays — including Good Friday and Easter Sunday - unless the businesses are:
- gas stations.
- some small shops.
- pharmacies under 7,500 sq. feet.
- nurseries, flower shops or gardening centres.
- stores in specific tourist centres, such as the ByWard Market.
Lansdowne Park is not designated a tourist centre, according to information from the City of Ottawa, but Whole Foods manager Lisa Slater says the store plans to keep its doors open.
"We are here for our community. The community is out and about, they're not working and we want to be able to serve the community and give them what they want," said Slater.
Ottawa retail consultant Barry Nabatian says Ottawa businesses are unhappy with the law and its patchwork of exemptions.
He says the law discriminates against local merchants, especially when just across the river Gatineau stores are open for business to a steady stream of Ottawa shoppers.
The City of Toronto took matters into its own hands in 2006 — passing a law that came into effect in 2007 that effectively made it exempt from the Ontario Retail Business Holiday Act.
"The law is very arcane, very restrictive, and not fair for everybody," says Nabatian, who estimates some $30 million in sales goes to Gatineau instead of Ottawa on Good Friday.
Retail outlets may be fined up to $50,000 or the total amount of gross sales for the holiday, whichever is greater, while the minimum fine for a first offence is $500.
Ottawa Police say they don't patrol for open stores on holidays, but they do respond to complaints, which they say almost never happens.
The President of the Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff said he'd like to see the law enforced, and says people who work in retail deserve the opportunity to have some rest and spend time with their families.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/whole-foods-ottawa-defy-holiday-090000992.html
I worked in retail for years and yeah, it sucks to have to work when everyone else (it seems) is enjoying the privilege of a holiday. But, everything about holiday closing rules is becoming more and more patchwork, like the article states, I start to wonder if it's worthwhile to even bother.
It is sometimes nice though just to see everything stop or slow down for a while.
Lansdowne Park grocery store Whole Foods says it plans to stay open throughout the Easter weekend, despite a provincial law requiring most businesses to be closed on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
- Related: What's open and closed on Easter weekend in Ottawa
The Ontario Retail Business Holiday Act calls for stores to be closed on nine major holidays — including Good Friday and Easter Sunday - unless the businesses are:
- gas stations.
- some small shops.
- pharmacies under 7,500 sq. feet.
- nurseries, flower shops or gardening centres.
- stores in specific tourist centres, such as the ByWard Market.
Lansdowne Park is not designated a tourist centre, according to information from the City of Ottawa, but Whole Foods manager Lisa Slater says the store plans to keep its doors open.
"We are here for our community. The community is out and about, they're not working and we want to be able to serve the community and give them what they want," said Slater.
Ottawa retail consultant Barry Nabatian says Ottawa businesses are unhappy with the law and its patchwork of exemptions.
He says the law discriminates against local merchants, especially when just across the river Gatineau stores are open for business to a steady stream of Ottawa shoppers.
The City of Toronto took matters into its own hands in 2006 — passing a law that came into effect in 2007 that effectively made it exempt from the Ontario Retail Business Holiday Act.
"The law is very arcane, very restrictive, and not fair for everybody," says Nabatian, who estimates some $30 million in sales goes to Gatineau instead of Ottawa on Good Friday.
Retail outlets may be fined up to $50,000 or the total amount of gross sales for the holiday, whichever is greater, while the minimum fine for a first offence is $500.
Ottawa Police say they don't patrol for open stores on holidays, but they do respond to complaints, which they say almost never happens.
The President of the Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff said he'd like to see the law enforced, and says people who work in retail deserve the opportunity to have some rest and spend time with their families.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/whole-foods-ottawa-defy-holiday-090000992.html
I worked in retail for years and yeah, it sucks to have to work when everyone else (it seems) is enjoying the privilege of a holiday. But, everything about holiday closing rules is becoming more and more patchwork, like the article states, I start to wonder if it's worthwhile to even bother.
It is sometimes nice though just to see everything stop or slow down for a while.
