Boxing Day, The Debate Continues

Craig Huckerby for SooNews.ca

Saturday, December 22, 2007. The ghost of Sault Ste. Marie's retail past will become present this coming Boxing Day.

The days of Boxing Day shopping ended when Sault Ste. Marie city council voted to reverse a by-law in favour of Boxing Day shopping and have stores remain closed for the December 26th statutory holiday.

A community group, Northern Retail Professionals Association led the move to have Boxing Day closed for retail shopping. Armed with a petition with thousands of names and a well organized plan to convince council to change the by-law, Sault Ste. Marie became the largest border city in the country not to allow shopping on what some believe is the busiest shopping day of the year.

NRPA's argument won the day stating retail workers deserve two consecutive days off for the Christmas holiday, as anyone else is.
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That same argument was once again heard in Sudbury this past week, where Boxing Day and the August Civic Holiday are considered Civic Holidays and stores are not allowed to open.

A motion before Sudbury council requesting a separate third party poll be conducted to establish the needs of the consumer. As in the Sault, the issue of Boxing Day Shopping is a heated debate on both sides.

Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie are among the only cities in Northern Ontario that created new by-laws to enforce the holiday across the board for all retail with exceptions for certain businesses and large industry.

Comments posted by readers of NorthernLife.ca, a Sudbury based web publication sound all too fimilar on both sides of the debate:

I guess I just have to continue to go to North Bay to get the boxing day specials like I have been the last couple of years.

Typical Sudbury...people have nothing better to do than shop on boxing day???heaven forbid we spend time at home or doing recreational activitites with our kids or family....

I was born in Sudbury and now live in Toronto. Let me tell you how it is perceived in Southern Ontatio.......Sudbury is a joke and not open for business. I love Sudbury and always defend it, but it's difficult when business circles view Sudbury as non-progressive

There is absoutely no good reason why people can't wait one extra day to make their returns and do their after-christmas shopping. Do we really live in a society that is so impatient that we can't wait a measley 24 hours

The very same arguments were made in the Sault during the debate last Spring that led to the council decision. Many shoppers say they intend to head across to Sault Michigan come Boxing Day this year. That trend was already in full force with the strength of the Canadian Loonie that set a new record against the U.S. Dollar at $1.10 in November.