Ottawa businesses fight proposed Remembrance Day hours
20.08.2008 15:02
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- Source: cbc.ca
Most Ottawa businesses would be closed until 12:30 p.m. on Remembrance Day under a proposed city bylaw that has some retailers up in arms. Ottawa's New Car Dealers Association and Shoppers Drug Mart have sent letters to the City of Ottawa opposing the bylaw, which will go before the city's community and protective services committee on Thursday. Under that bylaw: - Large supermarkets, pharmacies and car dealers will no longer be exempt from having to close on Remembrance Day.
- Retailers who aren't exempt will have to stay closed until 12:30 p.m. instead of noon.
The change would make the businesses exempt from the holiday hours consistent with the businesses closed on statutory holidays under the Ontario Retail Business Holidays Act. Businesses that will still be allowed to open before 12:30 p.m. on Remembrance Day: - Food, tobacco, antique and handicraft stores less than 2,400 square feet
- Pharmacies less than 7,500 square feet
- Book/newspaper dealers
- Convenience stores
- Businesses dealing in rental and repair of vehicles and boats
- Gasoline and other fuel stations
Source: City of Ottawa Bob Butt, director of communications for the Royal Canadian Legion, said the rules are intended to allow as many people as possible to attend the national Remembrance Day ceremony, which finishes at about 12:15 p.m. But Bob Feevens, a spokesman for Ottawa's New Car Dealers Association, said the businesses and individuals he represents pay homage to Ottawa's fallen soldiers in their own way on Remembrance Day. "There seems to be a continual erosion of the opportunity for business to do business," he said, adding that the proposed rules comes soon after Ontario established a new holiday, Family Day, with its own legislated store closures. Feevens said in the case of Remembrance Day, he fears potential customers will head over to Gatineau, which does not have the same store closure rules, and spend their money there. At the Royal Canadian Legion in Westboro on Monday night, many people said they would be closely watching the debate over the issue. Among them was veteran Doris Jenkins, who said she knew how she'd respond to arguments from people such as Feevens. "These store owners, if they asked me, I would give them the same answer," she said. "They would maybe not even have a store if it wasn't for our veterans in the Second World War." RelatedInternal LinksOttawa merchants blame Ontario for Family Day store closuresExternal LinksCity of Ottawa: Report on proposed Remembrance Day retail closures bylawOntario Retail Business Holidays Act(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window) Consumer HeadlinesFord Escape, Mitsubishi Outlander top SUV crash testsFour small sport utility vehicles received top scores in crash tests to be released Wednesday by the insurance industry, a sign of improvement compared with SUVs built earlier in the decade.Maple Leaf expands meat recall, closes Toronto plantMaple Leaf Foods is expanding a recall of its packaged meats and temporarily closing a Toronto plant that prepares the products. Parents give more reliable assessment of children's activity than kids: StatsCanParents seem to give a more accurate assessment of their children's activity levels than the children themselves, according to a Statistics Canada study released Wednesday.London, Ont., to ban bottled water on city premises despite beverage industry protestsCity councillors in London, Ont., have voted to ban the sale of bottled water on city premises despite protests from the beverage industry. Nike changes its ads after Chinese hurdler pulls out of raceNike quickly changed its advertising campaign around Chinese athlete Liu Xiang after he pulled out of the 110-metre hurdles in Beijing on Monday and disappointed millions of fans expecting him to defend his Olympic title on home territory. Consumer Life FeaturesIN DEPTHEnvironmentHealth Canada to evaluate pigments, solventsTECHNOLOGY'Make' it yourselfMagazine foments DIY revolutionSAFETYRecalls and AdvisoriesYOUR VOICEFound your calling?Tell us why your job is a dream job!BLOGFood BytesIn praise of old kitchen gadgetsBLOGComm-OdditiesBillionaire breaks real-estate record with $793M bidPeople who read this also read …
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