THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF YORK Committee of the Whole Planning and Economic Development September 12, 2013 Report of the Regional Solicitor and Executive Director, Corporate and Strategic Planning HILLCREST MALL MANAGEMENT INC. FOR HILLCREST MALL LOCATED AT 9350 YONGE STREET RETAIL BUSINESS HOLIDAYS ACT APPLICATION FOR EXEMPTION 1. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that: 1. Council consider the application for exemption from the Retail Business Holidays Act as submitted by Hillcrest Mall Management Inc. (the “Applicant”) for its retail business Hillcrest Mall located at 9350 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill, Ontario. 2. Council determine whether to grant an exemption from the Retail Business Holidays Act to allow the Applicant to remain open on New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day, and Thanksgiving Day. 3. A bylaw be presented to Council to give effect to the exemption, if granted by Council. 2. PURPOSE This report advises Council of an application for exemption from the Retail Business Holidays Act to allow the Applicant to be open on certain statutory holidays. This application is the subject of the public meeting to be held on September 12, 2013. 3. BACKGROUND The Retail Business Holidays Act requires businesses to be closed on certain statutory holidays The Retail Business Holidays Act (the “Act”) requires businesses to be closed on public holidays unless they are exempted. The holidays to which the Act applies are: Committee of the Whole Planning and Economic Development 1 September 12, 2013 Hillcrest Mall Management Inc. for Hillcrest Mall located at 9350 Yonge Street Retail Business Holidays Act Application for Exemption - New Year’s Day - Family Day - Good Friday - Easter Sunday - Victoria Day - Canada Day - Labour Day - Thanksgiving Day - Christmas Day Boxing Day and the Civic Holiday in August are not public holidays under this Act and therefore an exemption is not required for those days. The Act sets out statutory exemptions for certain types of businesses and also provides that Council may permit businesses to remain open for the maintenance or development of tourism. A public meeting must be held to consider the application. The following application has been received: Business Location Holidays Hours New Year’s Day Family Day Good Friday 11:00 a.m. 9350 Yonge Street Hillcrest Mall Victoria Day to Richmond Hill, Ontario Canada Day 6:00 p.m. Labour Day Thanksgiving Day In accordance with the Act, notice of a public meeting was advertised in Richmond Hill’s The Liberal and the Thornhill Liberal on Thursday August 8, 2013 and was posted on the Region’s website. A copy of this application with supporting documentation is appended to this report as Attachment 1. Exemption under the Act Businesses are exempt under the Act if the only goods available for sale on the holiday are foodstuffs, tobacco, antiques or handicrafts. These businesses shall not exceed three employees and the total area used for service shall be less than 2,400 square feet. Other businesses which are exempt are businesses selling only gasoline, nursery stock/flowers or fresh fruit and vegetables. The Act does not apply to pharmacies as they are governed under the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act and the selling of liquor is governed under the Liquor License Act. 2 Committee of the Whole Planning and Economic Development September 12, 2013 Hillcrest Mall Management Inc. for Hillcrest Mall located at 9350 Yonge Street Retail Business Holidays Act Application for Exemption Council may permit businesses to be open on holidays if the tourism criteria are met The Act provides that Council may permit retail business establishments to open on holidays for the maintenance or development of tourism. A bylaw may be passed only if there is compliance with the tourism criteria set out in Ontario Regulation 711/91 Tourism Criteria (the “Regulation”) under the Act. A copy of the regulation is appended to this report as Attachment 2. In addition, even if the tourism criteria are met, Council is not required to pass the bylaw and may exercise its discretion to refuse the application. Section 2 of the Regulation provides that a business can be exempted if: • it is located within two kilometres of a tourist attraction; and • it is directly associated with the tourist attraction or relies on tourists visiting the attraction for business on a holiday. For the purposes of Section 2, a tourist attraction is limited to: • natural attractions or outdoor recreational attractions; • historical attractions; and • cultural, multi-cultural or educational attractions. 4. ANALYSIS AND OPTIONS The Applicant has been operating in the Region for 39 years. Located in central Richmond Hill the Applicant’s site serves as a location for social and community based activities The Applicant has been present and active in the Region since 1974. The Applicant is a regional shopping centre totalling 587, 839 square feet and provides employment for 1,750 persons. The operating hours are currently Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Applicant has submitted an application to open on the following statutory holidays: New Year’s Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Labour Day and Thanksgiving Day. The Applicant lists its own site as the tourist attraction within its vicinity The Applicant has listed its own site, the Hillcrest Mall as the tourist attraction on this application. The Applicant sets out in Section 5, of Attachment 1, that the site is a tourist attraction as it attracts customers from a regional market area beyond the Town of Richmond Hill and is a popular destination for social and cultural gatherings entertainment and leisure activities serving a community function in the Town. Committee of the Whole Planning and Economic Development 3 September 12, 2013 Hillcrest Mall Management Inc. for Hillcrest Mall located at 9350 Yonge Street Retail Business Holidays Act Application for Exemption The Applicant has based its application on the criteria outlined in the OMB’s Bramalea City Centre decision The Applicant has based its application on the criteria considered in the Ontario Municipal Board’s (the “OMB”) decision to uphold Peel Region’s exemption bylaw for Bramalea City Centre on the basis that a mall could be considered a tourist attraction. The Act and the Regulation do not specifically qualify a mall or shopping centre as a Tourist Attraction. The OMB decision allowed that a broader interpretation of the term “tourist attraction” may be considered, in reviewing, (1) what constitutes a tourist attraction and why people go there, (2) evidence that was not contradicted and, (3) the definitions of tourism and attraction which reinforced the evidence presented by the Bramalea City Centre. The Applicant refers to a map created by staff using the criteria established in the Regulation to identify sites which may be considered natural or outdoor recreational attractions, historical, cultural, multi-cultural or educational attractions The Applicant notes that an exemption is appropriate as the site is regularly featured in local print advertisements, websites and social media conversations as a community amenity. The Applicant references a map created by staff and presented to Council in February 2013. The map identifies sites that could be considered to meet the criteria set out in the Regulation. Using this map, the Applicant states that its site is near the centre of an area identified as a possible exemption area, providing further justification for an exemption. The Applicant identified and compiled, in Section 4.4 of its submission, a listing of tourist attractions, which may qualify the Applicant to meet the location criteria for exemption consideration. The Applicant’s submission states that the Applicant’s site offers complimentary common area space to non-profit groups to accommodate and showcase local fundraising, awareness and information displays and regularly hosts a variety of entertainment, recreational and community events. These are listed in Section 5.3 (pg. 33) of Attachment 1. The Applicant has obtained written authorizations from its tenants in support of this application and to ensure there will be compliance with the Act and other legislation affecting businesses which would open on a statutory holiday In addition to submitting an application, the Applicant has signed authorizations from its tenants supporting this application - see Attachment 1(Appendix F). As noted in Section 4.5 of the Applicant’s submission, the Regulation under the Act requires that at least 25% of the retail businesses in an exemption area be directly associated with a tourist 4 Committee of the Whole Planning and Economic Development September 12, 2013 Hillcrest Mall Management Inc. for Hillcrest Mall located at 9350 Yonge Street Retail Business Holidays Act Application for Exemption attraction or rely on tourists visiting the attraction for business on a holiday. As the Applicant has yet to operate during holiday hours the Applicant cannot make the determination that it relies on tourists for business during a holiday. The Applicant is of the opinion that if the site were to open on a holiday it would exceed the criteria set out in the regulation and would lead to opportunities for increased tourism at nearby tourist attractions. Currently there are no bylaws applicable to this business area, and only one exemption has been granted within the Town of Richmond Hill. A chart showing businesses within the Region which have been granted an exemption is appended to this report as Attachment 3. Enactment of Bylaw Should Council decide to grant the exemption, the bylaw will come into force on the thirty-first day after it is enacted. Under the Act, there is a period to allow for an appeal of the bylaw which may be made within thirty days, by any person who objects to the exemption.