Will all businesses in LaSalle soon be allowed to open on Statutory Holidays?
LaSalle town councillors will debate a request from the district manager at the Food Basics on Sandwich West Parkway to open on statutory holidays, but a report to councillors recommends a blanket exemption to the Retail Business Holidays Act.
Under the provincial legislation, businesses must remain closed on New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and any other holiday declared by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor.
There are already some grocery stores with exemptions to the act, including the Zehrs on Malden Road, FreshCo on Malden Road, and Windsor Crossing Premium Outlets on Talbot Road. Restaurants and bars are also exempt.
The report suggests processing individual requests for an exemption is "time-consuming, requires notice and appeal periods, and can create confusion when some stores are permitted to open on holidays while others are not."
The $220 fee doesn't offset the cost in staff time, preparing notices, corresponding with the requestor, and tracking appeal timelines.
A blanket exemption would be consistent and remove the need for individual businesses to apply.
The legislation allows municipalities to opt out by passing a bylaw, but they must appoint one day of the year when businesses must close. In other cities and towns, Christmas Day is usually chosen as the one day of the year when businesses must close their doors.
If councillors adopt the administration's recommendation and allow stores to open on statutory holidays, a public meeting will be required, and anyone opposing the move could appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
