Diane Trail
Atlantic Correspondent
atlantic@christianweek.org

HALIFAX, NS-Surprising even those in vigorous opposition, Nova Scotians have decided to ban Sunday shopping. This vote makes Nova Scotia the only place in North America not to have some form of shopping on Sundays.

Unofficial results showed Nova Scotians voting 55 per cent against Sunday shopping during a binding referendum held in conjunction with municipal elections on October 16. In some cases, voter turnout was up to 30 per cent higher than average.

Opponents of Sunday shopping suggested that to accept seven-day-a-week shopping would harm family time and take away from the province's peaceful character. A diverse coalition of church groups, the Federation of Independent Businesses, the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, and the Green Party, as well as Mark Parent, Nova Scotia Member of the Legislature, spearheaded the "no" forces.

"We made our case well that this would hurt service workers," says Parent. "It would put a strain on small businesses under pressure. Families were under enough pressure in today's society."

Many municipalities agreed. Unexpectedly, even Amherst, the town closest to the New Brunswick border(a province which allows Sunday shopping), chose to uphold the ban, although by a very close vote.

Not everyone is pleased with the decision, however. People in Halifax Regional Municipality, which has 40 per cent of the province's population, voted by a slim majority in favour of Sunday shopping.

"The majority made its collective choice clear," says Justice Minister Michael Baker. "Sunday shopping will remain as it is now." The vote means that there will be no Sunday shopping as long as the current government remains in power.

Premier John Hamm, who leads a minority government, promised the referendum in 2003 when he allowed Sunday shopping for the six weeks preceding Christmas. Under the province's existing legislation, the only establishments that can open on Sundays are small convenience stores, drugstores and shops that serve tourists.

There were influential organizations in favour of Sunday shopping, such as the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia (TIANS) and the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. Their main arguments were freedom of choice for consumers and attracting tourist dollars.

Parent is pleased to see Nova Scotians taking a stand. "I think this is a very significant vote when you look at it in its wider context…quality of life issues are clearly issues that people feel passionately about.

"It's a wake-up call to the churches," he says. "If churches really want to put their shoulder to the wheel, they can wield a lot of political clout. I think churches have been pretty quiescent…the problem has been that they don't speak the right language…If you learn to speak it, there's a lot you can do."

However, those supporting the Sunday shopping aren't prepared to concede defeat. Judith Cabrita, president of the TIANS, says, "We'll continue to look at options...toward some kind of [legal] challenge."