Sunday Shopping Limits Announced

Government is taking steps to limit Sunday shopping.

Regulations will be amended to limit the number of retail grocery outlets that can open on Sundays. Currently, retail operators are prohibited from opening on Sundays and holidays with some exceptions. One of those exceptions allows grocery stores under 4,000 square feet to be open. This exception will now only apply to those grocery retailers who regularly opened on Sundays prior to June 1, 2006.

The proposed new regulations, will prohibit grocery retailers from opening if they have reconfigured their businesses as separate operating units after June 1.

"We believe it is important to respect the results of the Sunday shopping plebiscite held in 2004," Premier Rodney MacDonald said today, June 23.

The premier said, however, it is clear that the issue is still important to Nova Scotians.

"We will once again seek their views in a plebiscite to coincide with municipal elections scheduled for 2008."