Conservatives won’t reduce retail holidays, Ford says

Senior Tory officials say plan reported Thursday never made it to cabinet

Premier Doug Ford has scuttled a controversial proposal that would have reduced the number of holidays for retail workers to help businesses cope with COVID-19 fallout.

The Star reported Thursday that Queen’s Park was considering a plan to change the Retail Business Holidays Act to reduce the number of mandatory statutory holidays for retailers to three from nine, in order to offset the pandemic’s impact.

But Ford insisted Friday that it was not in the cards for the Progressive Conservative government.

“No, we aren’t doing that,” the premier said firmly.

“I think people should spend time with their families. There’s nine stat holidays and, as much as the malls would be packed and everything, I just think people need to take a break nine times a year,” he said. “So it’s not happening.” Three senior Tory officials, speaking on background in order to discuss internal deliberations, insist it was a suggestion from a municipality to Government and Consumer Services Minister Lisa Thompson.

“This was a proposal from a stakeholder and that’s all it was, a proposal,” one official said.

“It never got to cabinet and has not been discussed at any high level,” the insider said.

Another top Tory stressed “this is not something we are moving forward with.”

A third person with knowledge of the issue noted there is already an exemption in the provincial law for municipalities to pass bylaws exempting themselves from the act.

Indeed, the city of Toronto is already exempt from the act and has its own regulations dealing with retail openings on holidays.

Jerry Dias — the president of Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union, which also represents workers at the Toronto Star — said Thompson’s officials told labour leaders about the plan during a “technical briefing ” on Wednesday.

“We are pleased that the Ford government has changed its mind on this issue,” Dias said Friday.

“Retail workers have been a vital part of getting our communities through the pandemic, and have been working incredibly hard to keep food on our tables,” he said.

“Coming just days after their pay was cut by major grocers, the possibility that they would lose their statutory holidays just added insult to injury.”

Dias spoke with Ford and Labour Minister Monte McNaughton on Friday morning, and they confirmed Ontario would not go ahead with the proposal to eliminate all statutory holidays for retail workers except Christmas, Good Friday and Canada Day.

But that did not prevent the opposition parties from pouncing on an apparent trial balloon that went over like a lead zeppelin.

“Doug Ford never does the right thing until he gets caught. He seems to always hope you won’t find out about his backroom deals until it’s too late,” said New Democrat MPP Taras Natyshak (Essex).

In a statement, the Liberals said “after getting caught redhanded and backing down on his reckless plan to rip statutory holidays away from essential workers, Doug Ford has flipflopped — once again.”

Also Friday, the premier expressed his support for continuing the temporary COVID-19 measure that allows restaurants and bars, which are struggling during the pandemic, to continue to sell beer, wine and spirits to go.

Ford insisted that allowing that practice to continue would not be “walking away” from his signature 2018 campaign promise to allow beer sales in convenience stores.

“I have higher priorities than the beer and wine in the corner stores right now,” the premier said.

But he emphasized that “I don’t think it’s a bad idea” to permit off-licence sales at bars and restaurants after the emergency allowance expires next January.

A Campaign Research poll for the Star earlier this month found 73 per cent support bars and restaurants selling booze to go, with16 per cent opposed and 12 per cent unsure.