As opponents heckled from the public gallery, Greater Sudbury councillors repealed three bylaws restricting shopping hours on Dec. 9 with surprisingly little debate for an issue that has divided local politicians for decades.
The decision was effective immediately, meaning stores can open on Boxing Day this year if they so choose. It was a major victory for Mayor Brian Bigger in his first meeting as mayor. While several people in the audience wanted to speak on the issue before the vote, they failed to get the two-thirds support required among councillors to allow them to do so.
That prompted an angry response from deregulation opponents in the crowd, primarily from organized labour. However, labour groups didn't register to campaign during the October referendum on store hours, something that was raised during the brief debate on the motion.
Almost 48 per cent of residents cast ballots in a referendum during last fall’s municipal election, with 75.5 per cent favouring allowing stores to set their own hours, 62.4 per cent to allow shopping on the Civic Holiday and 61.1 per cent to allow shopping on Boxing Day.
Bigger said those results made his job easier.
“Councillors mostly ran on platforms that said they would respect the results of the vote, regardless of what direction the citizens took,” he said. “Tonight it was at the stage in the process where our role was to consider the results of the referendum and repeal those bylaws.
