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Article: Sinning on Sunday: a century later, Canadians are still feeling the (now legitimate) hangover of the Lord's Day Act.(Explorations)(Law overview)
- Article from:
- The Beaver: Exploring Canada's History
- Article date:
- June 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Canada's National History Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Blame it on the Big M. On Sunday, May 30, 1982 Calgary's Big M Drug Mart opened for business and changed the face of retail in Canada forever. Nearly three years later, on April 24, 1985, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the country's venerable Lord's Day Act that since 1906 had prohibited most forms of retail and recreation on Sundays, protecting the day for rest and religious observance. The court ruled that the law violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and suddenly provincial and territorial governments were in a position to allow everything from shopping to drinking and gaming. Over the next two decades, our sacred Sundays became noticeably less about the ...