Freedom Flyer 9

If only one person in Metro wanted to shop on Sunday it's "nobody else's business," says the leader of Ontario's Freedom Party.

And it's the same thing for retailers - if one shopkeeper wants to open his door Sunday, it's not his neighbor's problem, Robert Metz said yesterday.

Sunday shopping is a matter of "personal choice."

That's the message party members spread in a pamphlet blitz of four Ontario cities yesterday.

The party, with 200 members, works toward abolishment of the Retail Business Holidays Act and other "freedom of choice" objectives. It was formed in 1984.

"The current act is a repressive piece of legislation aimed at restricting a retailer's right to his or her property," Metz said.

More than 5,000 pamphlets were distributed by members yesterday in Metro, Mississauga, St. Thomas and London. Supporters staked out the major grocery store chains that have been defying the law.

Says the pamphlet: "We never thought we'd see the day when earning one's livelihood through gainful employment would be considered a crime, but that day repeats itself at least once every week.

"No one is proposing laws to force businesses to open on Sunday, nor would it be appropriate to do so for all the same reasons that it is inappropriate to force Sunday closings," it continues.

Metro police laid at least 68 charges and handed out two cautions yesterday in connection with Sunday openings. But that number is expected to rise today because some of the divisions were not filing a report until this morning.