I don't know much about this topic. In fact I didn't know that until last motnh when I heard of Sobey's opening of stores that stirred up the media.

It seems to me that Sunday shopping ban has a lot to do with the Christianity practice tradition. Nova Scotia is the only Canadian province that still prohibits Sunday shopping. Does this mean that NS is the most Christian province in Canada? What else does this indicate? Nurturing entrepreneurship and local economy, or is it actually working against it? Will NS become more of a job destination if we had less control and more freedom?

I actually think it has more to do with people working in retail wanting sundays off for rest/family. And not to mention the fact that the pleblicite had the public vote in favour of keeping the ban in place, and it seems that some people, even if they support sunday shopping, want to respect the results of that pleblicite.

But on another note, the premier of the province Rodney McDonald decides to pass a new law stating that only stores that divided into smaller sections after June 1st to abide by the laws and open on sunday, were not allowed to do so anymore. This includes only stores larger than 4000 sq feet which all sobeys and superstore are. It seemed to be just his way out of the issue so it would open the grocery chains to appeal to the court and let it play out there. Pretty much so no matter what happens, nobody points the finger at him.

time to catch up with the times NS.

I totally agree its such a ridiclous argument to be having in this day and age. However, I was in Ottawa last weekend and I couldn't believe how early the stores close. All the grocery stores and liquer stores were closed at 6 and 7 in the eve. I couldn't believe it.

I totally agree its such a ridiclous argument to be having in this day and age. However, I was in Ottawa last weekend and I couldn't believe how early the stores close. All the grocery stores and liquer stores were closed at 6 and 7 in the eve. I couldn't believe it.

and this was on a Saturday I forgot to mention.

Is there going to be a vote or something soon?

Is there going to be a vote or something soon?


Its going to court. The Sunday Shopping law won't hold. There'll be sunday shopping here in the near future. There are few large stores opening know and have not been charged yet.

I totally agree its such a ridiclous argument to be having in this day and age. However, I was in Ottawa last weekend and I couldn't believe how early the stores close. All the grocery stores and liquer stores were closed at 6 and 7 in the eve. I couldn't believe it.

I can see the point in closing malls at that time, but grocery stores. What about the people that work on weekends and don't get off till six olcock or so?

I don't know much about this topic. In fact I didn't know that until last motnh when I heard of Sobey's opening of stores that stirred up the media.

It seems to me that Sunday shopping ban has a lot to do with the Christianity practice tradition. Nova Scotia is the only Canadian province that still prohibits Sunday shopping. Does this mean that NS is the most Christian province in Canada? What else does this indicate? Nurturing entrepreneurship and local economy, or is it actually working against it? Will NS become more of a job destination if we had less control and more freedom?

It seems to me that your post may have a lot to do with anti-Christian bias, considering your signature indicates you are buddhist.

It has less to do with religion and more to do with small businesses not wanting competition, and the rest of us being too lazy - I mean "laid-back" to want to work that extra day. I doubt that NS is the most Christian province.. my guess for that would be somewhere in the Prairies or else New Brunswick. Apparantly NS has a significant population of Shambhala Buddhists.

It seems to me that your post may have a lot to do with anti-Christian bias, considering your signature indicates you are buddhist.

It's really not a religious thing. It'a about how to stimulate business and create jobs. On the contrary, if you try to dig a little more, you will find that Buddism never say that other religion is bad or wrong, if you care at all. I'm American and I came here to know about Halifax and talk about business. Let's avoid religion here.

The problem with the sunday shopping debates is that a small two store outfit named Pete's fruitique started the sub- division thing and then challenged the governments rules in the supreme court of canada. Pete's won and thus overturned the will of the majority of people in the 2004 vote. So of course the two nation grocery giants are going to eventually challenge the law because A. the will win with the Pete's decison as a presidence in the highest court and B. they are losing business not only to petes but shopper drug mart which is getting into some grocerys with 4000 sq foot store legally being opened on sunday.
As to the thing about nova scotia being the only province without sunday shopping it is not true. Prince Edward Island only has sunday shopping the 6 weeks prior to christmas and that is in law for every year. With Nova Scotia it was decided year by year if they would allow the 6 weeks prior to have sunday shopping. Both Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia made that policy to stem the loses of sales taxes due to christmas shopping in moncton new brunswick.
You can drink in a bar , you can gamble in a casino on sunday but retail over 4000 sq feet.

I agree with the upholding on the majority vote but it is hard to do when Petes gets a advantage by supreme court and Shoppers Drug Mart has an advantage as a drug store then sellling product the grocery chains cant sell on sunday.

The vote I beleive really was on a rural/ urban basis with a little religion involved to.

I beleive if they mix the vote with a municipal election then they can look at the votes and if sydney votes in favour then sydney gets to open the stores.
If new glasgows voters turn the idea down then stores are closed in new glasgow. The provincial government shoudl not have statis over the situation until they include the ballot issues like sunday shopping in the provincial ballot. It could be that the local decision is known and thus democracy is upheld. I dont think rural nova scotia or any part of the province should stop the will on other places voters unless it is an issue that involves tax dollars from the provincial coffers IE the commonwealth games.
Divding the results might have metro voters would their stores open and rural nova scotia would probably be happy. That is why the premier is not the sharpest tool in the shed politically speaking

jim jones

That's a good idea and is what many people in the Halifax area seem to want. It's annoying when people say "The people CLEARLY voted that they DO NOT want Sunday shopping in NS" when the majority in HRM actually voted "yes", as well as in a few other areas such as Amherst, I think. For some reason though, there are some vocal opponants who are completely against Sunday shopping even in areas where they don't live.

Well I havent seen a breakdown by municipal unit but you would assume that metro and amherst would side with sunday shopping. The grocery chains will get their way because of fair play and competition clauses in canadian law. A supreme court ruling in favour of Pete's will be upheld for the Sobeys challenge and to me that is sad that the courts overturn even a flawed way of appling a vote. I am not against sunday shopping i just think that if Petes is allowed to open Sobeys or Superstore should not be disadvantaged.

I do believe that labour laws around this issue have to be made stronger and that any employee who does not want to work sunday should not have to. another discouragement to the retailers so bent on sunday shopping would be to pass a law that sunday workers would have to have the same benefits package as fulltime workers. If the government really wanted to get creative and follow the will of the voters they could my life very difficult to the point that sobeys , superstore and petes would all not want to open on sunday.
The supreme court victory for Pete's would be meaningless if the government puts the screws thru labour laws and makes it highly unprofitable for grocers to make money on sunday.
It should also be against the law to punish in anyway an employee who ops out of working sunday.

Jim jones.

That's a good idea and is what many people in the Halifax area seem to want. It's annoying when people say "The people CLEARLY voted that they DO NOT want Sunday shopping in NS" when the majority in HRM actually voted "yes", as well as in a few other areas such as Amherst, I think. For some reason though, there are some vocal opponants who are completely against Sunday shopping even in areas where they don't live.

The problem with a majority in halifax is that if the HRM is 40 percent of the population province and 60 percent of the HRM population voted yes then what you have is only around 25 percent of the nova scotian population supporting sunday shopping if all voters voted against in the rest of nova scotia. With those types of numbers you could indeed have a majority in halifax and yet a
minority bellow 30 percent province wide. I dont think it was as simple as Halfiax voted overwhelming for and the rest of the province voted against.
I think the numbers were probably close every wheres but the rural part of nova scotia had stronger numbers against and there would be numbers against in metro as well.

The question on the ballot was loaded in favour of keeping the Status Quo which was favourable for the Tories support base in Rural nova scotia. The timing was right for placing the vote during municipal elections for the tories to shore up support by delievering what rural areas would want. The timing of the challenge was also desinged so not to place it as an issue agianst the tories and especially John Hamm. Once John Hamm retired Sobeys especially would take advantage by not angering an partner in province house. Rodney Mac Donald is no as important to the Sobeys as Hamm was and still is.

Jim Jones.

time to catch up with the times NS.

Not really plunky all that is done with sunday shoppingis you spread retail economic activity over an extra day. At the same time expenses are higher for annual operation and that can effect some stores to the point of either closing for financial reasons or closing for personal family reasons. Once you have the grocery stores who are branching into department store products the department stores will feel compelled to open fearing lost sales to grocery stores . You then will have magicuts opening in zellers and the cycle goes on the hair salon industry.
It is wasteful on the environment for power consumption. Unless you shave an hour of the week days and have 5 hours of shopping on sundays you are really not gain but remixing the deck.

jim jones

From Halifax Herald:

The night took a brief comical turn when Mr. McKenna asked Mr. Clinton how he felt about Sunday shopping in Nova Scotia. Mr. Clinton said all he hoped for was that he’d be able to do some shopping and support the local economy.

Mr. Clinton will spend at least one more day in Nova Scotia, attending a golf tournament hosted by Mr. McKenna at Fox Harb’r in Wallace.

....

Anything new/update about this subject??

^ Sobeys has since launched a court challenge of the shopping ban, and Superstore has taken to opening parts of their store on Sunday (although not the main grocery section). As far as I know, there hasn't been any definitive outcome, but some in the media have speculated that the government's law may not stand up to the challenge. However, even if that's true, it may take awhile for anything to change, since the court process is very time consumming.

A new poll came out indicating that 63% of Nova Scotians are infavor of sunday shopping.

A new poll came out indicating that 63% of Nova Scotians are infavor of sunday shopping.

Could you disclose source? What's the sample size and sampling locations?

The Sunday shopping ban was one of the most assinine things I've seen in a long time. I'm glad to see it go. I was in Halifax on a Sunday in August, having been on the road for three weeks—there are things I need to buy (shampoo, toothpaste, etc), I'm an out of town business traveller during tourist season, for Pete's sake. There was money the provincial economy didn't get from me that particular Sunday when I was looking for a decent book and some sort of prepared food that I could take back to my hotel room for dinner—and I just might have picked up some gifts for friends and family had there been any shops open.

All we hear about on the West Coast is how the economy in the Maritimes is struggling, yet there are no unemployed people or retirees who would be interested in part-time weekend jobs that Sunday shopping would create? With the ban finally over I hope that means there are a few hundred people off the unemployment rolls, and thousands more tourist dollars going into the local economy. Please tell me they finally got rid of it in PEI as well. After all, people who work in hotels and restaurants may want the weekend off to be with their families, but someone has got to work then in those industries, too. Why exempt retail?

I also cannot fathom the shops closing down so early on Christmas Eve. I worked in retail as a student in the US, and shops on Christmas Eve stayed open until 9—it was one of the biggest days thanks to last-minute shopping! It was brilliant: full of women picking up stocking stuffers and men who hate to shop so desperate to find a gift that they'd throw money at just about anything you suggest (and would be so grateful for any assistance you could provide).

It's a huge moneymaker for retailers, and despite the hurried atmosphere, I remember it being a lot of fun. Not everyone has family to go home to on the holidays—or they live too far away to be with them, or if they're like me (from a medical family—but this applies to families of emergency and hospitality workers as well) there will be years when one or more members have to work Christmas anyway—so why not spend the evening working and being around people in the spirit of the season instead of sitting alone at home?

President Clinton had it right: extend the shopping hours, and create jobs—plus make the lives of tourists and people with crazy work schedules (like myself) a little easier.

The Sunday shopping ban was one of the most assinine things I've seen in a long time. I'm glad to see it go. I was in Halifax on a Sunday in August, having been on the road for three weeks—there are things I need to buy (shampoo, toothpaste, etc), I'm an out of town business traveller during tourist season, for Pete's sake. There was money the provincial economy didn't get from me that particular Sunday when I was looking for a decent book and some sort of prepared food that I could take back to my hotel room for dinner—and I just might have picked up some gifts for friends and family had there been any shops open.

All we hear about on the West Coast is how the economy in the Maritimes is struggling, yet there are no unemployed people or retirees who would be interested in part-time weekend jobs that Sunday shopping would create? With the ban finally over I hope that means there are a few hundred people off the unemployment rolls, and thousands more tourist dollars going into the local economy. Please tell me they finally got rid of it in PEI as well. After all, people who work in hotels and restaurants may want the weekend off to be with their families, but someone has got to work then in those industries, too. Why exempt retail?

I also cannot fathom the shops closing down so early on Christmas Eve. I worked in retail as a student in the US, and shops on Christmas Eve stayed open until 9—it was one of the biggest days thanks to last-minute shopping! It was brilliant: full of women picking up stocking stuffers and men who hate to shop so desperate to find a gift that they'd throw money at just about anything you suggest (and would be so grateful for any assistance you could provide).

It's a huge moneymaker for retailers, and despite the hurried atmosphere, I remember it being a lot of fun. Not everyone has family to go home to on the holidays—or they live too far away to be with them, or if they're like me (from a medical family—but this applies to families of emergency and hospitality workers as well) there will be years when one or more members have to work Christmas anyway—so why not spend the evening working and being around people in the spirit of the season instead of sitting alone at home?

President Clinton had it right: extend the shopping hours, and create jobs—plus make the lives of tourists and people with crazy work schedules (like myself) a little easier.



To me what is really assinine is that you could have easily gotten toothpaste or shampoo at the any pharmacies that are open on sundays in nova scotia BEFORE the ban was lifted. Thing is Shoppers Drug Mart pushed the Grocery chains, by selling groceries, into challenge the law and the grocery chain won because of the the supreme court decision in regards to Pete Frootique in the 1990's. There may be activity in the HRM in regards to retail for sunday shopping afterall all those civil servants just dont have enough time since they all have to work 9 to 5 and on every saturday. In northern nova scotia we have some retail operations that are not even making payroll for the day and thus they are no longer opening on sunday. I suppose we would have to pass a law so you can wander the province on sunday in perfect reach of your toothpaste and shampoo ROTFLMAO. Please buddy spare us the intelligence thing from the left coast . You are the people who are begging everywheres for winter games funding after all LOL.

jim jones

I drove all over the place that particular Sunday in Halifax and couldn't find a single drugstore open--and the aisles in Sobeys that sold drugstore items were all barricaded. I also needed to refill my prescription for allergy meds and to get my oil changed--and I had a meeting in Montreal on Tuesday, so I had no time to take care of these things on Monday.

Anywhere else in Canada (besides PEI) I could have gotten what I needed. I'm sure I'm not the only person who goes through NS on business. Plus, you get American tourists coming through there in their RVs with similar needs and money to support your economy. Why make it difficult for them? So the Mom and Pop places can't afford to stay open on Sunday: then at least allow the bigger employers to at least keep their doors open and hire a few extra shifts--you know, create jobs.

And sweetie--spare me the "buddy" and "west coast intelligence" and Olympics garbage. I'm an American woman who is putting her place in East Van on the market and going back to the States. I'm not looking for handouts from the government here, I'm not interested in subsidising the Olympics with my taxes, and I'm similarly disinterested in subsidising the fallout (unemployment, etc) from poor business practises in other parts of the country.

Actually if you look at subsidizes both in total and per capita, the Maritimes are among lowest in Canada

Actually if you look at subsidizes both in total and per capita, the Maritimes are among lowest in Canada

21 percent of our provincial budget comes from transfer payments provided by ottawa which is really money from both ontario and alberta who pay into that system. There could be provinces with higher percentages then ours but are they having the benefits of offshore natural gas royalities????

Elements in the federal tory party want to claw the transfer payments back .
Stephen Harper is actually opposed to that thought.

jim jones

OH by the way MS. Yank when you start to call this province assine please remember that you are a guest in this country and liek the old saying goes
"when in rome do as the romans do" Atleast if you had to go to a hospital in nova scotia for emergency care you would not have to pull out a health insurance plan like you do in the states for many of the hospitals.

Jim jones

21 percent of our provincial budget comes from transfer payments provided by ottawa which is really money from both ontario and alberta who pay into that system. There could be provinces with higher percentages then ours but are they having the benefits of offshore natural gas royalities????

Elements in the federal tory party want to claw the transfer payments back .
Stephen Harper is actually opposed to that thought.

jim jones


Provincal transfers are NOT subsidies. All provinces receieve provincal transfers in someway or another. Most of that money goes to healthcare and education to keep it at national standards, which benifits all of Canada. I am taking about subsidies to business or agriculture.

" On a per capita bases, total business subsidies in Atlantic Canada have been below the national average since the mid-1980's. Specifically, over the period 1999-2001, total business subsidies per person in Atlantic Canada averaged $292. This was 26% lower than the national average of $396 per person"

APEC Article - summer 2004

I drove all over the place that particular Sunday in Halifax and couldn't find a single drugstore open--and the aisles in Sobeys that sold drugstore items were all barricaded. I also needed to refill my prescription for allergy meds and to get my oil changed--and I had a meeting in Montreal on Tuesday, so I had no time to take care of these things on Monday.

Anywhere else in Canada (besides PEI) I could have gotten what I needed. I'm sure I'm not the only person who goes through NS on business. Plus, you get American tourists coming through there in their RVs with similar needs and money to support your economy. Why make it difficult for them? So the Mom and Pop places can't afford to stay open on Sunday: then at least allow the bigger employers to at least keep their doors open and hire a few extra shifts--you know, create jobs.

And sweetie--spare me the "buddy" and "west coast intelligence" and Olympics garbage. I'm an American woman who is putting her place in East Van on the market and going back to the States. I'm not looking for handouts from the government here, I'm not interested in subsidising the Olympics with my taxes, and I'm similarly disinterested in subsidising the fallout (unemployment, etc) from poor business practises in other parts of the country.

I find it hard to believe you couldn't find a drug store open. All drug stores were open sundays even before SS. I do however agree with you that it was stupid not to have SS and I ma very glad we do now. Also you go on about unemployment rates... well Halifax has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada. Just thought I would point that out.

OH by the way MS. Yank when you start to call this province assine please remember that you are a guest in this country and liek the old saying goes
"when in rome do as the romans do" Atleast if you had to go to a hospital in nova scotia for emergency care you would not have to pull out a health insurance plan like you do in the states for many of the hospitals.

Jim jones

You know, I really don't like it when a discussion degenerates into personal attacks, but I'd like to point out to you that I have the unenviable position of being the descendent of both multiple-generation American AND Canadian families who doesn't technically qualify for dual citizenship—if that makes me a "visitor" as opposed to people who have come from other parts of the world, have been in North America for only a few years and qualify for "legitimate" citizenship, then I'd like to know why so many "real" (read: white) Canadians like to denigrate those newcomers so much (they are, after all, here permanently—unlike "guests" like myself).

I'm in Canada on a self-empoyment visa and don't qualify for MSP—so I DO have to pull out my health insurance card, which I pay for out of my own pocket, while at the same time paying for your government plan.

Similarly, as an American citizen whose income sources are primarily in the US, I am required to pay taxes in both countries—and thus am forced to financially support a war and a rogue American government which I vigorously oppose at the same time I am subject to my phone calls being monitored (which I knew about long before it became public) and to serious American-bashing here in Canada (which I found was even worse in the Maritimes than it is here in BC). Sometimes it seems one can't win for losing here.

I've lived here for four years, during which I had never strayed East of Toronto in my travels before this past Summer, and was just as ignorant of the Sunday shopping ban as many West Coasters and tourists from other countries, which was my point—if PEI could suspend the ban before Christmas because it made economic sense, why not get the tourist dollars during the Summer as well? I just found it hard to believe that it took so long for youse to come around to this point of view.

I lived for a while in a state in which it was illegal to pump your own gas. This was in a region in which, like the Maritimes, many of the traditional industries had taken significant hits in the past 25 years, and was one of those contrary "traditions" that seemed to be maintained purely out of some sort of stubborn regional pride—but it did have some economic justification, as it created jobs along with the higher gas prices. The Sunday shopping ban, on the other hand, just seemed to hearken back to some putatively "happier" past: when families were supported on one paycheque and the womenfolk were expected to take care of the shopping during the week (God knows, that was never part of my past, as my parents were both doctors who worked half of each year's weekends, holidays and school breaks). I expect that's a lot of what's behind the heated and emotional tone of this thread.

As for your point about unemployment, HaliGuy, I had to return to the Maritimes after my four days in Montréal—primarily to PEI and Western NS, and it seemed as though unemployment was all people were talking about there. I don't know whether you're referring to the HRM or just Halifax proper when you cite your statistics or the locations of pharmacies, but that miserable Sunday I spent looking for a drugstore was in Dartmouth and, aside from the nice suburbs on the periphery, it didn't look like an area that was in brilliant economic shape. I also noticed that a good number of street and highway signs had been stolen, which is something happening in depressed areas of BC, and this reinforced my impression.

You know, I really don't like it when a discussion degenerates into personal attacks, but I'd like to point out to you that I have the unenviable position of being the descendent of both multiple-generation American AND Canadian families who doesn't technically qualify for dual citizenship—if that makes me a "visitor" as opposed to people who have come from other parts of the world, have been in North America for only a few years and qualify for "legitimate" citizenship, then I'd like to know why so many "real" (read: white) Canadians like to denigrate those newcomers so much (they are, after all, here permanently—unlike "guests" like myself).

I'm in Canada on a self-empoyment visa and don't qualify for MSP—so I DO have to pull out my health insurance card, which I pay for out of my own pocket, while at the same time paying for your government plan.

Similarly, as an American citizen whose income sources are primarily in the US, I am required to pay taxes in both countries—and thus am forced to financially support a war and a rogue American government which I vigorously oppose at the same time I am subject to my phone calls being monitored (which I knew about long before it became public) and to serious American-bashing here in Canada (which I found was even worse in the Maritimes than it is here in BC). Sometimes it seems one can't win for losing here.

I've lived here for four years, during which I had never strayed East of Toronto in my travels before this past Summer, and was just as ignorant of the Sunday shopping ban as many West Coasters and tourists from other countries, which was my point—if PEI could suspend the ban before Christmas because it made economic sense, why not get the tourist dollars during the Summer as well? I just found it hard to believe that it took so long for youse to come around to this point of view.

I lived for a while in a state in which it was illegal to pump your own gas. This was in a region in which, like the Maritimes, many of the traditional industries had taken significant hits in the past 25 years, and was one of those contrary "traditions" that seemed to be maintained purely out of some sort of stubborn regional pride—but it did have some economic justification, as it created jobs along with the higher gas prices. The Sunday shopping ban, on the other hand, just seemed to hearken back to some putatively "happier" past: when families were supported on one paycheque and the womenfolk were expected to take care of the shopping during the week (God knows, that was never part of my past, as my parents were both doctors who worked half of each year's weekends, holidays and school breaks). I expect that's a lot of what's behind the heated and emotional tone of this thread.

As for your point about unemployment, HaliGuy, I had to return to the Maritimes after my four days in Montréal—primarily to PEI and Western NS, and it seemed as though unemployment was all people were talking about there. I don't know whether you're referring to the HRM or just Halifax proper when you cite your statistics or the locations of pharmacies, but that miserable Sunday I spent looking for a drugstore was in Dartmouth and, aside from the nice suburbs on the periphery, it didn't look like an area that was in brilliant economic shape. I also noticed that a good number of street and highway signs had been stolen, which is something happening in depressed areas of BC, and this reinforced my impression.


Look it up buddy... Halifax's unemployment rate is at 5% Lower than any city in Ontario and until recently lower than Vancouver. So you were in a bad area of Dartmouth.. I could say the same thing about many areas in Vancouver such as the Vancouver's East side perhaps..lol.. Metro Halifax's economy is doing very well and can look that up too. So leave your'e judgemental comments to youself will yeah. I totally agree with you on SS and it is here now. However I know for a fact the Drug Stores were open when we had no SS because I went to one many times on a Sunday. Actaully one of the reasons we have SS now is becouse the big grocery stores felt they were losing business to the Drug stores which were getting bigger with large grocery sections and took the government to court because of it.

So you really have nop idea what you're talking about.

The SS is great news and I didn't even know that it is here! Halifax is a famous tourist destination and I am sure this will inject energy to the local economy. Way to go

Look, dude, you asked me where I got my impressions and I told you what I saw. As a tourist, I'm not going to see everything or know everything about "how things are done" in NS—and that was my point. In a region that stands to benefit from tourist dollars it behooves your province's economy (about which, I reiterate, I heard many complaints—specifically, high unemployment, or at least limited employment opportunities—from the locals) to make things easier for tourists and business travellers. btw, one of the most beneficial things the HRM could do in this direction (and I saw this in Halifax proper as well as in Dartmouth) is replace some of those missing street and highway signs.

You don't have to get personal and you don't have to drag where I live (a city I'm planning to leave because I don't particularly care for it myself) into the discussion. I was talking about my impressions of the place where you happen to live, that's all. This isn't a contest, you know, and it isn't about us as respective individuals. I mean—this is an urban forum, right? We're here to discuss ways of making our cities work better, are we not?

You people certainly take the most curious things personally. I suppose if I commented on the miserable weather while I was in the Maritimes you would take that as a personal attack as well? ("Well, what about all the rain you have in Vancouver . . . " What does that have to do with anything?)

Jeez, lighten up.

People feel a natural attachment to wherever it is they're from.

Halifax tends to be misjudged because it is assumed that whatever holds true in rural parts of the Maritimes also holds true here. Do people assume that economic conditions in Vancouver are the same as conditions in Port Alberni or that Toronto must be like Kashechewan? If they have I've never heard it.

The Sunday shopping thing sucked but stores are now open on Sunday, so there's not much to say about it. Most people living here also found it highly inconvenient.

People feel a natural attachment to wherever it is they're from.

Halifax tends to be misjudged because it is assumed that whatever holds true in rural parts of the Maritimes also holds true here. Do people assume that economic conditions in Vancouver are the same as conditions in Port Alberni or that Toronto must be like Kashechewan? If they have I've never heard it.

The Sunday shopping thing sucked but stores are now open on Sunday, so there's not much to say about it. Most people living here also found it highly inconvenient.

I found it as a great message sent out: liberating the mindset and getting down to the business of developing economy.

Look, dude, you asked me where I got my impressions and I told you what I saw. As a tourist, I'm not going to see everything or know everything about "how things are done" in NS—and that was my point. In a region that stands to benefit from tourist dollars it behooves your province's economy (about which, I reiterate, I heard many complaints—specifically, high unemployment, or at least limited employment opportunities—from the locals) to make things easier for tourists and business travellers. btw, one of the most beneficial things the HRM could do in this direction (and I saw this in Halifax proper as well as in Dartmouth) is replace some of those missing street and highway signs.

You don't have to get personal and you don't have to drag where I live (a city I'm planning to leave because I don't particularly care for it myself) into the discussion. I was talking about my impressions of the place where you happen to live, that's all. This isn't a contest, you know, and it isn't about us as respective individuals. I mean—this is an urban forum, right? We're here to discuss ways of making our cities work better, are we not?

You people certainly take the most curious things personally. I suppose if I commented on the miserable weather while I was in the Maritimes you would take that as a personal attack as well? ("Well, what about all the rain you have in Vancouver . . . " What does that have to do with anything?)

Jeez, lighten up.


The thing is the agruement that having stores closed on sunday would discourage tourism is actualy very lame. No one makes a choice of going to any place because of the hours of operation of the retail secotr. THe biggest lobbies for sunday shopping in nova scotia are the merchants of cumberland county which lose locally to Moncton and the HRM chamber of commerce. 60 percent plus voted against sunday shopping in the province and the will of a people in a democratic process is being usurped by promoters whos membership produce very few of export products that are producing in this province.
Halifax is Government Agencies, support industries,Call Centres, A Port and little else.

jim jones

The thing is the agruement that having stores closed on sunday would discourage tourism is actualy very lame. No one makes a choice of going to any place because of the hours of operation of the retail secotr. THe biggest lobbies for sunday shopping in nova scotia are the merchants of cumberland county which lose locally to Moncton and the HRM chamber of commerce. 60 percent plus voted against sunday shopping in the province and the will of a people in a democratic process is being usurped by promoters whos membership produce very few of export products that are producing in this province.
Halifax is Government Agencies, support industries,Call Centres, A Port and little else.

jim jones\

What bunch of crap Jim...so you think the government should waste time and resources fighting SS folishness instead of focussing on more important issues such as health care and the economy. The court ruled in favor of Sobey's and people have voted with thier feet... not a bullshit plebicite attached to municipal elections which noramally have low voter turnout.

The thing is the agruement that having stores closed on sunday would discourage tourism is actualy very lame. No one makes a choice of going to any place because of the hours of operation of the retail secotr. THe biggest lobbies for sunday shopping in nova scotia are the merchants of cumberland county which lose locally to Moncton and the HRM chamber of commerce. 60 percent plus voted against sunday shopping in the province and the will of a people in a democratic process is being usurped by promoters whos membership produce very few of export products that are producing in this province.
Halifax is Government Agencies, support industries,Call Centres, A Port and little else.

jim jones

Little else? See some facts. Retail and tourism is huge in the GDP of HFX and NS. Sunday shopping is great for both the locals and the Atlantic provinces. What is your source of "60 percent plus voted against sunday shopping in the province" and WHEN was that ballot? It's almost 2007; move on!

according to : http://www.visascanada.com/map.php?select=ns


Business Statistics As of Jun-05

Retail $ $2.81B Mar-06 Year-to-date, Billions, NAICS 2002, S.A.
Wholesale $ $1.57 Mar-06 Year-to-date, Billions, NAICS 2002, S.A.
COnstruction $0.02 Mar-06 Building Permits--Year-to-date, millions, S.A.
Information $1.19 Dec-02 Billions, GDP 1997$
Technology
Tourism $1.30 Dec-04 Tourism Receipts in Billions