At last night’s first meeting of the new council, a motion was presented to vote on the issue of store hours in the community. This motion was brought forward as a follow-up to the results achieved in the 2014 municipal referendum.
With an outcome of 11-2 in favour of deregulation, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce is pleased to report that council has voted in favour of the repeal of the two municipal by-laws regulating store hours in Greater Sudbury.
“Last night was truly historic. I remember making a presentation to Sudbury’s regional council in 1994 about this same issue. It’s been a long and hard battle for the chamber and am glad to see the city progressing forward. We are thrilled with the outcome,” says John Querney, co-chair, Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, Deregulation Working Group.
The two by-laws that were voted upon include by-law 2007-143; a by-law which required certain retail establishments to be closed on the August Civic Holiday and on Boxing Day as well as by-law 2004-204 which regulated when stores could be opened and closed.
“I believe this really sets the tone for the new council- that they are ready to embrace change and make decisions. I am very impressed with the way the Mayor and council handled last night’s vote. This is a true example of putting into action the will of the voters and showing respect for the democratic process” says André Dumais, co-chair of the chamber’s Deregulation Working Group.
“Council was proactive in not letting this issue fall by the wayside and bringing it forward to the first meeting. This is a good sign for the next four years,” adds Dumais.
Although the results of the municipal referendum were not legally binding as a 50% voter turnout was not achieved on each one of the questions, the majority of those voting on the referendum questions during the 2014 municipal election (over 47% of eligible voters)voted in favour of deregulation with 61% of voters having voted yes to question one (Boxing Day), 62% voting yes to question 2 (Civic Holiday) and 75% voting yes to question 3 (general operating hours).
Effective immediately, the repeal of the by-laws means that retail establishments can now choose their hours of operation and make their own decisions as to whether or not to open on Boxing Day or the Civic Holiday.
The chamber believes that the repeal of these by-laws will do much to enhance the open for business environment of the city.
To watch our two co-chairs re-cap last night’s council decision on store hours, watch this advocacy alert:
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