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"REPEAL FORCED RETAIL CLOSINGS" Famed Toronto Furrier Paul Magder
Praises Proposal of September 3, 2009, Toronto - As the province heads toward Labour Day weekend and Jewish and Muslim high holidays, St. Paul's by-election candidate Paul McKeever today announced that, if elected, he will work to repeal what is left of the Retail Business Holidays Act. "This backward old law - which targets only retail businesses - was never just for retailers and never fair to shoppers", says McKeever. "Good!", responded Toronto furrier Paul Magder, who may open his store this Labour Day Monday. "It's about time it was repealed. This law is terrorism against the small business person who is just trying to make a living. It violates the Charter. We're supposed to have rights in this country, but we don't. We're supposed to be equal." "The Employment Standards Act, 2000 also imposes holiday regulations", says McKeever. "However, I am speaking only about the forced closure of retail stores. "There is no just reason for prohibiting retail shopping. Not on religious holy days. Not on any day. "Quite properly, we do not force retailers to close their stores for Rosh Hashanah or Eid, and there is no justification for forcing closures for the Christian holidays of Christmas, Easter, and Good Friday either. "The same goes for secular holidays listed in the Act. This Labour Day, Ontarians will be free to buy pornography and cigarettes, but it will be illegal for the Magders to sell them a fur coat. The law makes no sense. "This law violates property rights. It simply is not the government's job to tell retailers and their customers when they can and cannot trade with one another. "This vestigial left-over from a 20th century relic of law - this discriminatory and backward old Progressive Conservative assault on freedom and commerce - needs to go. If elected the MPP for St. Paul's I will most certainly work to give it the burial it deserves next to the old, unconstitutional, Lord's Day Act." BACKGROUNDER
The Retail Business Holidays Act was
initially passed into law in 1975 by the
Progressive Conservative government of Bill
Davis. Until June of 1992, the Act prohibited retail stores from opening their doors on Sundays and various holidays. Until 1996, the
Act prohibited shopping on Boxing Day. With numerous
exemptions for various types of retailers (e.g., book stores) and for
designated tourist areas, the Act now only prohibits some
retailers from opening on 8 days of the year: New Year's Day, Good Friday,
Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and
Easter Sunday.
This year, Labour Day falls on Monday,
September 7.
Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) commences
on September 18, 2009, one day after the
St. Paul's by-election polling day. The
Muslim holy days of Eid al-Fitr commence at
sunset on September 19.
Under the Act, Toronto furrier Paul
Magder was charged over 600 times for
opening on Sundays, amassing fines and
legal fees of over $900,000.00. Although the Sunday shopping prohibition was lifted by the government of Premier Bob Rae in June of 1992 (largely
thanks to Magder's efforts, and despite
howls of protest from Rae's own party and
caucus), the Ontario government petitioned
Magder into bankruptcy in the years that
followed.
Under the same Act, London bookstore
owner Marc Emery (then
Action Director for Freedom Party) was jailed for 4 days for refusing to pay his fine for having 4 people
work in his store on Sunday, instead of the
maximum of 3 provided by the
Act.
Magder was the guest of honour at Freedom Party's Apri 21, 1987 "Magder Dinner" in Toronto, which raised funds for Magder. Magder's son, Glen Magder - who now operates Paul & Glen Magder furs with his brother, Paul - was a Freedom Party candidate in 1987. For further details, contact:
This media release distributed to all major news media. |
Freedom Party of Ontario Tel: 1-800-830-3301 |