Blue laws

[Peter]

Are you affected by them?

Sunday Closings and the Canadian Bill of Rights
Hamilton, Ontario
January 14, 1962

What's someone to do for a good time in Hamilton on a cold winter day in 1962? Well, if it's a Sunday, it's not bowling.

Just ask Walter Robertson and Fred Rosetanni. Walt and Fred run a bowling alley in Steeltown. On January 14th, 1962, they opened their doors for business and broke the law. Doing business on a Sunday is a direct violation of section 4 of the Lord's Day Act.

Fred and Walter were charged with violating the Lord's Day Act. In their defense, they would spare no expense in their attempts to strike down the law. They argued the that section 4 of the Lord's Day Act violated the freedom of religion guaranteed them by the Canadian Bill of Rights.

The two lost their case in Ontario courts and ended up before the Supreme Court of Canada.

4 of the 5 judges agreed on the following:

    * The Canadian Bill of Rights isn't concerned with "human rights and fundamental freedoms" in any broad sense, only with those "rights and freedoms" that existed in Canada immediately before it became law. In other words, if opening on a Sunday did not restrict religious freedom before the Bill, it can't after its passing.
    * Laws protecting the "sanctity of Sunday" have existed in Canada from the earliest times and have never been considered as an interference with the kind of "freedom of religion" guaranteed by the Canadian Bill of Rights.
    * It is the effect rather than the purpose of The Lord's Day Act that is important. Nothing in it affects freedom of religious thought or practice.
    * non-Christians who observe a day of rest other than Sunday may experience a business inconvenience, but that was not a religious restriction, that was just a non-religious consequence.

In short, Fred and Walter lost their case.

Calgary, Alberta
Sunday
May 30, 1982

If you're a high school student, you probably don't think twice about shopping or working on a Sunday. But if you remember the case of Roberts and Rosetanni, you should know that Sunday shopping is a relatively new development.

In that case, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the federal Lord's Day Act - which prohibited businesses from opening on Sundays - was valid. The court said that closing stores on Sundays didn't infringe freedom of religion. The store owner lost the case.

On Sunday May 30th, 1982, Big M Drug Mart picked up the challenge and opened its doors. They would be charged, go to court, and, unlike others in the past, win thanks to the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom.

[Blasted]

In Poland I am.

Everything shuts down on Sunday 

[Peter]

It reminds me of the claims from the Islamist camp, that nobody should be allowed to insult Muhammed.  Imagine if all religious proscriptions were incorporated into law and applied to everyone.  It would be illegal to insult Muhammed, to draw a picture of a human, to eat pork, drink beer, work on a Sunday, Saturday or Friday and so on until it was easier to just have a list of things which were permitted, and then there would be endless turmoil over the inevitable conflicts where one religion demanded an action and another religion prohibited it, as well as the disagreements between religions over what punishment should be used.  Do you tear a witch's flesh from her bones with iron hooks, stone her to death or stone her while tearing her flesh off?

[Parts]

In Ct lots of stuff used to be closed for Sunday but in the last 25 years it's gotten better.  Still if you want to buy alcohol on  Sunday you either have to get it by the drink in a bar or restaurant or leave the state(in collage we wen to Westerly RI only 10 miles away) the same used to go for after 8pm also every day I think they changed it to 9 though.  Still can't hunt on Sunday either.   

[Blasted]

My grandma doesn't even do any housework on that day because she cares more about the neighbours would think if they hear a hoover.  Religion isn't really incorporated into law but with Poland being a Roman Catholic country and about 98% Polish people being Catholic, then those who are different are looked down upon.  Many people don't take it into consideration that there are different religions out there.  Like when i was in primary school and everyone had to go to extra RE because their parents made them.  This little Vietnamese boy, who n.b. was teased senseless, didn't go and had to sit outside and be laughed at by the cleaning ladies.  In secondary school, thank fuck, it was optional to go but the shit I got from my grandma for not going    "You were raised Catholic!!"  The whole religiousness thing in Poland and especially my family, is more about hypocrisy than real faith.

It was especially bad when the Kaczyński brothers were in power.

[Callaway]

There are still some Blue Laws in effect here.

You can't buy alcohol from a liquor store or buy an automobile here on Sunday.

There have been several attempts to repeal these laws, but unfortunately the automobile dealers and liquor store owners are among the most vocal protesters against them.

They say that if some automobile dealers and liquor stores are allowed to be open on Sundays, then they will all have to be open to be competitive.

[Dexter Morgan]

You can't buy liquor on Sunday here, and can't buy beer or wine until noon.  The only thing I know is closed on Sunday is Chik-Fil-A.

[Callaway]

Chick-Fil-A and Hobby Lobby are closed on Sunday here too, but that is not because of the blue laws.  It's a corporate decision to give their employees the day off on Sunday.

[vodz]

I used to work at Penhalluriack's Building Supplies, the owner of which spent time in jail for illegally trading on weekends.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Penhalluriack

[Callaway]

I used to work at Penhalluriack's Building Supplies, the owner of which spent time in jail for illegally trading on weekends.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Penhalluriack

Wow.  The man is a hero.

[vodz]

I used to work at Penhalluriack's Building Supplies, the owner of which spent time in jail for illegally trading on weekends.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Penhalluriack

Wow.  The man is a hero.

I think he's a fucking arsehole in person and have no qualms about stealing from his store.

[Johnny]

They should bring them back and close everything on sunday to save fuel.