York Region Council is expected to revisit a controversial bylaw that permits stores to open on all statutory holidays with the exception of Christmas Day following criticism from labour leaders and Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti.

The bylaw was passed at a meeting of York Region Council last month but it will be brought back for debate today as York Region Council hears from labour leaders from Unifor and the Toronto and York Region Labour Council who are calling for its repeal.

Speaking with CP24 on Wednesday afternoon, Scarpitti said that he is hoping that York Region Council ultimately agrees to repeal the bylaw and revisit it after conducting extensive public consultations, which he says were not done prior to its initial passing.

“I just think we need to press the reset button on this one,” he said. “Repeal the bylaw and let’s have public consultation. I am of a view that everyone should enjoy stat holidays, so let regional council explain to the rest of the public why they feel that retail workers shouldn’t have those holidays as well.”

The provincial Retail Holidays Business Act currently prohibits some businesses from operating on nine statutory holidays but under a provision enacted last December, municipalities and regional councils can pass a bylaw which will exempt them from the terms of the act.

The bylaw adopted by York Regional Council, which would take effect on Jan. 1, replaces the provincial act with a local bylaw allowing all businesses to choose whether or not to operate on all statutory holidays aside from Christmas Day.

Scarpitti and a number of labour leaders, however, have accused York Regional Council of passing the bylaw without properly consulting the estimated 60,000 retail workers that it will impact.

“I have been in politics for almost 30 years and I cannot remember when we made a decision that impacted so many people without going out and really telling people that we were going to contemplate doing this,” Scarpitti told CP24 on Wednesday. “It caught everyone off guard. It was sort of being contemplated and next thing you know the bylaw was passed.”

A staff report previously suggested that eight of nine municipalities consulted were generally in favour of the proposed changes.

The staff report also pointed out that York Regional Council has granted a total of 31 exemptions to the Retail Holidays Business Act between 1995 and 2016, resulting in a system where “retail businesses, business areas and municipalities” all have different rules.

It said that the bylaw would “create a level playing field” for businesses.

It should be noted that the City of Toronto was previously exempted from the Retail Holidays Business Act but has its own bylaw preventing some stores from opening on nine statutory holidays. There are exemptions for businesses in tourist areas.