The government bill that would affect Sunday shopping hours in Manitoba is back on the docket.

The legislative assembly met last week for the first time since COVID-19 prompted a house shut down last spring and 33 pieces of legislature were reintroduced. Government House Leader Kelvin Goertzen says that means the Retail Hours Bill is back on the table.

In Manitoba right now, retailers can only operate between 9 AM and 6 PM on Sundays and certain holidays in municipalities that have passed a bylaw allowing them to do so. Cities like Winnipeg, Brandon, and Thompson have gone that route, but others have not. The Retail Hours Act intends to flip the current policy on its head. If the Retail Hours Bill is passed, municipalities would, by default, allow businesses to operate on Sundays and general holidays unless their council passes a new bylaw specifically prohibiting it.

“It provides to the municipal government, the ability to continue having restrictions on Sunday shopping or shopping on other holidays if they choose,” offers Goertzen. “It allows for that local decision making to happen.”

The Manitoba Government does not consider Remembrance Day a general holiday. Whether or not the bill is passed, retail businesses will not be permitted to open between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM on November 11.

Though the matter is now on the agenda, when it will be passed remains up for debate. As Goertzen explains, the speed with which a single piece of legislature is passed is very much up to the opposition. If the Liberal and NDP parties decide to prioritize the Retail Hours Act, it can be passed almost immediately. If not, it could be deferred for up to twelve months before becoming law. For that reason, Goertzen says hypothesizing over a timeline is not a worthwhile venture.

“I have not heard from either the Liberals or the NDP about how they feel about the Retail Hours Act but it really is a function of their desire to move it. It is very difficult to say when it will be passed.”

Depending on how long it takes for the bill to be discussed in the legislative assembly, Goertzen says Manitobans may have to wait until next fall before they can visit their favorite local store every day of the week.