nova scotia FINALLY enters the modern age
CBC: “Nova Scotia lifts Sunday shopping ban”
The Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore grocery chains have won their court challenge of Nova Scotia’s Sunday shopping regulations.
A court ruling released Wednesday said the provincial government went beyond its powers with regulations introduced in June that prevented the grocery stores from selling products seven days a week.
Shortly after Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Peter Richard issued the ruling, Premier Rodney MacDonald said he will clear the way for Sunday shopping.
MacDonald said the government will not appeal the ruling or look for ways to enforce Sunday shopping restrictions.
He also said the province will not be drawn into a debate over the definition of a grocery store.
Retail stores of all kinds can open on Sundays and other holidays, starting this weekend. The only exception is Remembrance Day.
Oh happy day. Ours was the very last province in the country that did not allow shopping on Sundays. The dark days are coming to an end.
Zipidee-friggin-DOODAH!
October 4th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Heathens.
When can we rest?
October 4th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
When we’re dead.
October 4th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
I was always of the opinion that Sunday shopping should be allowed, but I would tolerate our regulations long as the restriction was fairly applied… which it never was. I never understood why people thought it was OK for people who work in non-essential smaller businesses (e.g. restaurants) to work on Sundays, but not for grocery store (etc) employees.
October 4th, 2006 at 2:22 pm
Or why Pete’s Frootique, essentially a high-end grocery store, could open but the regular supermarkets could not.
And if they were trying to protect workers, why smaller stores could be open… or bars… or Chapters… or movie theatres… and so on.
Whatever. It’s over.
October 4th, 2006 at 2:30 pm
Thank ….uhh, ….
Well I can’t thank God now can I?
October 4th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Hey, God can now relax a bit on Saturdays too. No more rushing around trying to get all his shopping done on one day.
October 4th, 2006 at 4:14 pm
I remember when Montreal first allowed Sunday shopping. They had the same hours on Sundays that they had for the rest of the week and after a few months the shops realized they were actually losing money. So they amended weekend hours, closing around 6pm instead of 9, to reflect more days open but no change in the volume of shoppers. Just because we can shop an extra day doesn’t mean we’ll shop more.
That said, now that I don’t work retail, I could care less if the shops open Sunday
October 4th, 2006 at 6:50 pm
Li: and you probably have enough time during the week to do so. As a parent of two very young kids, I can’t stay up to shop at 1Am during the week, nor do I feel I need to plan my menu 5 days in advance or know I will be cooking / running out of something on a Sunday.
Just give us the opportunity to shop. I don’t need to do it at 0900, or at 7PM.
October 4th, 2006 at 8:08 pm
Mike, are we debating this on two boards now?
No, I don’t have kids, nor much of a busy weekday schedule. I’m just pointing out that, coming from a province that has been through this a long time ago, it will be interesting to see how stores manage their schedules as I highly doubt opening 7 days a week will increase their profits. I’m looking at it from the perspective of malls and the like, not from a consumer view.
And I’m not much of a weekend shopper anyway because there’s too many folks in the shops, and I only get to see my mister on weekends so I don’t spend that time in a store. But, now that it’s legislated I’m sure I’ll pop into the Superstore now and then on a Sunday if I have to.
It’s really a non-issue for me at this point, I’d rather stress on my mister’s tour than whether or not I can get my special soy milk on Sunday.
October 5th, 2006 at 10:14 am
Over a year ago I left my province of birth (NS) and came to the culture shocker known as Quebec. When I was a business person that worked on Sundays(in NS) I was against Sunday shopping because I thought that folk should be allowed to rest and not be forced to work. Now??
I LOVE the Sunday shopping!! I F@#$%ing LOVE IT! Its the only time I can really drag my husband out to approve/make a purchase for the home etc. Also, if I’m outta anything I can just trot out and get it.
Its aaallll good baby.
October 5th, 2006 at 11:24 am
I’m from Massachusetts, in the US. I remember when the “blue laws” here were lifted quite a few back. While I’m theoretically in favor of less government control over private institutions, I can’t say that there’s anything good, whatsoever, about stores being open on Sunday. The entire flavor of the day changed with the rescinding of the laws, and not for the better. Sunday is now just another hectic day, with the same traffic, the same sounds, the same problems as Saturday.
I was much happier when there were almost no cars on the street, except during church hours; no noise outside of children playing or perhaps a ballgame in the park; and no feeling of “I need to do such-and-thus today”.
God bless you for holding out as long as you did.
October 8th, 2006 at 11:21 pm
Welcome to the 1980’s,
when Duran Duran breaks up, try to look surprised.
October 11th, 2006 at 10:28 am
Duran Duran is breaking up?!