Manitobans can now start shopping on Sunday mornings – and it’s just in time for the Civic Holiday/August long weekend.
Both Polo Park and St. Vital Shopping Centres will open a hour earlier starting Sunday, August 5, 2012. The new permanent Sunday hours will be 11am – 6pm. Legally, the malls can open at 9am… perhaps we’ll see an even earlier opening in the future.
The legislation:
* expands the hours retail businesses can be open on Sundays under a municipal bylaw by an additional three hours in the morning, widening Sunday shopping hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.;
* applies expanded hours to Louis Riel Day, Victoria Day and Thanksgiving Day;
* authorizes employment standards officers to order an employer to compensate or reinstate an employee penalized for exercising their right to refuse work on a Sunday; and
* affirms that retail workers have the right to refuse work on Sundays, provided they give their employer at least 14 days notice. (The full 14 days notice is not required for the first two Sundays of August, however, employees must give their employer as much notice as is reasonable.)
Shopping restrictions on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Canada Day, Labour Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will also remain the same.
More information on the legislation is available at www.manitoba.ca/labour/standards.
