SUNDAY SHOPPING
“The whole concept of shopping is changing from getting your necessities. It’s becoming an experience. The buying process is undergoing a paradigm shift. People see shopping now as a form of recreation.” – John Wojcicki, president and CEO of Retail Alberta.
Current Status
In Manitoba, a retail business that operates with fewer than four employees can be open on Sundays. Municipalities can pass a bylaw to allow Sunday and holiday shopping at larger retail businesses within their communities, but only between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Many communities (Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Thompson and Winnipeg) have bylaws that allow Sunday shopping.
There is no question that since Sunday shopping was introduced in 1993, it has proven to be extremely popular with consumers in Manitoba.
Across Canada, more jurisdictions are moving toward either expanding Sunday shopping or eliminating an existing ban.
In October 2006, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia released a decision that invalidated certain regulations restricting shopping on Sunday and holidays. The Provincial Government opted not to appeal and changed its regulations to allow all retail stores to determine the days they choose to be open. It did not impose restrictions on store hours.
Argument for Allowing Retailers to Set Own Hours of Operation
Freedom of Choice for Retailers and Customers
The Chamber views Sunday shopping largely as a rights issue. Consumers and retailers – not governments – should decide who shops and who does not on Sundays just as they do every other day of the week. We note that every industry in Winnipeg has the right to be open on Sunday except the retail sector.
Employment Opportunities
The Chamber believes that Sunday shopping generates job opportunities and given the status of our economy, this is a factor that cannot be overlooked.
Consumer Support for Sunday Shopping
In October 2010, The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce commissioned Prairie Research Associates (PRA) to ask about consumer support for Sunday shopping as part of an Omnibus survey. In Manitoba, 800 residents, 18 years of age and over, were interviewed by telephone on a range of issues.
Respondents were selected by random digit dialing, which allows PRA to include those with unlisted or new numbers. This technique produces a random sample that includes the highest possible percentage of eligible respondents.
| Table 1: Summary of methodology |
| |
| Pretest | Oct. 12, 2010 |
| Survey dates | Oct. 12 – Nov. 3, 2010 |
| Sample size | n = 800 |
| Interview method | Telephone |
| Sample selection | Random digit dialling |
| Approximate error rate (theoretical) | + 3.5%, 19 times out of 20 |
In the poll, we asked Manitobans whether they support or oppose allowing retailers to set their own hours of operation, including on Sundays, to accommodate consumer demand. Among all Manitobans"
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Currently, 2 in 3 Manitobans (63%) say they at least somewhat support allowing retailers to set their own hours, including 35% who say they strongly support the idea.
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More than 1 in 3 (35%) say they oppose allowing retailers to set their own hours of operation, including 18% who say they strongly oppose the idea.
Table 2 shows these results:
| Table 2: Support for retailers setting their own hours of operation Currently, the provincial government regulates the hours of operation of retail stores. Do you personally support or oppose allowing retailers to set their hours of operation including on Sundays to accommodate consumer demand? |
| | |
| Support | 63% |
| Strongly support | 35% |
| Somewhat support | 28% |
| Oppose | 35% |
| Somewhat oppose | 17% |
| Strongly oppose | 18% |
| Don’t know/no response | 3% |
| Total | 101% |
| Note: Totals may not sum to 100% due to rounding. |
As seen in Table 3, there are no statistically significant differences in whether participants supported or opposed retailers setting their own hours by gender, age, annual household income, or region.
| Table 3: Profile of those who support or oppose retailers setting their own hours of operation |
| | |
| | |
| Overall | 62% | 35% |
| Gender | |
| Female | 62% | 35% |
| Male | 63% | 34% |
| Age | |
| 18 to 24 | 64% | 34% |
| 25 to 39 | 70% | 29% |
| 40 to 64 | 60% | 36% |
| 65 and older | 59% | 39% |
| Annual household income | |
| Under $35,000 | 65% | 34% |
| $35,000 to $50,000 | 62% | 29% |
| $50,000 to $75,000 | 57% | 36% |
| Over $75,000 | 67% | 39% |
| Region | |
| Winnipeg | 64% | 34% |
| Non-Winnipeg | 61% | 36% |
| Bolded percentages indicate a statistically significant difference between demographic groups. |
Current Sunday Shopping Legislation across Canada (2011)
In British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, there are no restrictions on Sunday shopping and stores can open 24/7 365 days a year.
Nova Scotia permits any store to open every day of the year except Remembrance Day (Nov. 11).
Some provinces have further restrictions on Sunday openings:
Prince Edward Island
In Prince Edward Island, Sunday shopping at most retail stores is permitted after 12 p.m. year-round, but stores must remain closed on designated retail holidays such as Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Islander Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day and New Year's Day.
The Retail Business Holidays Act defines the type of retail business that may open for Sunday shopping year round, including but not limited to, convenience stores, restaurants, drug stores, bakeries and video stores.
New Brunswick
Municipalities can adopt bylaws that permit or prohibit the operation of retail businesses on the weekly day of rest (Sunday).
All retail businesses may be open to the public on the weekly days of rest beginning on the Sunday falling immediately before New Brunswick Day in August up to and including the second Sunday after Christmas. This province-wide Sunday shopping period only applies in cases where a municipality has not adopted a bylaw respecting the weekly days of rest and retail business.
Some communities in New Brunswick, such as Fredericton and Saint John, restrict Sunday openings to noon to 5 p.m.
Note: The provincial Sunday shopping period is from the Sunday immediately preceding New Brunswick Day to the second Sunday after Christmas.
Retail businesses would only be allowed to operate during the provincial Sunday shopping period, which runs from the Sunday immediately preceding New Brunswick Day to the second Sunday after Christmas.
If there is no bylaw regulating the hours of operation of retail businesses, the businesses would decide their own operating hours.
Quebec
Stores are only permitted to open between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekends, excluding holidays.
Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Recommendation:
- Allow retail outlets to be open for business, at the discretion of the business owner, without government-imposed restrictions.
Adopted by The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce board of directors, 2006