LANSDOWNE – Leeds and Thousand Islands Township will move ahead with allowing all businesses to be open on statutory holidays, except for one.
The township council held a public meeting last night (Monday) on a request from the Rockport Lighthouse Country Store and RV Park to designate the municipality a “tourist area.”
Planning Director Marnie Venditti says this started with the Rockport Lighthouse getting a request from the LCBO that it wanted municipal okay in writing to be open on stat holidays. The township did provide a letter to the Crown corporation a couple of months ago.
“However, in looking at it more broadly, based on our review in made sense…to blanket exempt all of the businesses in the township on the statutory holidays,” Venditti told council Monday.
In order to override the Ontario Retail Business Holiday Act, the township has to close all businesses for one holiday, except for those essential under the act. In the proposed bylaw, that will be Christmas Day.
There were three people in attendance for the online meeting but no one from the public spoke. Councillors had no comments about the proposal and the township says it received no inquires from the public.
Venditti noted that the economic development committee did support the proposal.
The public meeting lasted less than five minutes.
The final bylaw will be passed at a future council meeting.