ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:
Keep the stores closed on holidays....PERIOD. It's about downtime for people and their families. There doesn't need to be a religious reason behind it.
Why have this "Retail business holiday" law only for retail stores and not for people in other sectors? The law is dumb in that regard.
But really there shouldn't be an outright ban on doing business on any given day...PERIOD.
Ontario already has a decent set of rules for work on public holidays under the Employment Standards Act, and I'll bet that it's reasonably similar in most other provinces. I think it provides a reasonable balance, with rewards for those who would rather work and earn the extra money and also a disincentive to employers who might othersiw encroach no an employee's downtime:
- Work on the public holiday is STRICTLY VOLUNTARY - employees must agree IN WRITING and an employer cannot force anyone to work (excpetions for employers who have special designation as essential services, or "24/7" operators).
- Pay for work performed on a stat holiday must be at least 1.5x times the employee's regular rate.
- The 1.5x pay mentioned above is IN ADDTION TO the full holiday pay that the all employees receive for the public holiday. So essentially an employee who works that day is paid 2.5x for that one day. Alternatively the employee can elect to take another day off in lieu.
I think it works pretty well. No need for this extra nonsense.