Re: Should more stores be open in Toronto on holidays?, April 17

Should more stores be open in Toronto on holidays?, April 17

When I was young, I worked for a year as an usher at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, Pa., a venue for symphonies, operas and ballets. The Commonwealth had passed a special law to allow alcoholic beverages at Heinz Hall during Sunday matinees, which would otherwise have been forbidden under so-called “Sunday blue laws.”

When I moved to Toronto, friends told me Eaton’s used to draw curtains on its display windows on Sundays. I’m guessing it was to minimize distractions on what has been called the Lord’s Day or the Christian Sabbath.

Given that employment law provides for additional compensation for those who work on holidays, I was surprised to learn of Toronto’s goofy bylaws dictating who can be open on certain holidays without facing fines. I thought government as nanny and busy-body was something in the rear-view mirror. It is long past time to scrap this ridiculous restriction on free enterprise and equity.

William S. Hesselgrave, Toronto

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