Referendum fails, but Bigger will push for deregulation

While the overall voter turnout just passed that mark, at around 50 per cent, only around 47 per cent of eligible voters ended up answering the three referendum questions.

However, mayor-elect Brian Bigger said despite Monday night's referendum results, he will still push for bylaws to change Sudbury's store hours rules.

“My position has been that it's a democratic vote, and regardless of whether or not 50 per cent has been reached, I felt we would still need to bring the results back to city council and pass a bylaw,” he said.

Bigger will be sworn in as mayor in early December, and will participate in his first council meeting in that role shortly thereafter.

“I would like to see it come forward this year in the first council meeting,” he said, regarding the store hours debate.

John Querney, co-chair of the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce's deregulation campaign, said while the support for deregulation was expected, that the vote was shy of the 50-per-cent mark wasn't.

“Originally, we were led to believe we needed to see a 50-per-cent-plus-one voter turnout, and it turns out it's a little more detailed than that,” he said.

As it turned out, more than 50 per cent of eligible voters needed to answer the referendum questions for them to be binding.

But even falling just short of that number, Querney said voters handed the “ yes” camp – to allow stores to open on Boxing Day and the civic holiday in August, along with choosing their own hours of operation – a decisive mandate.

Just over 61 per cent of the voters who answered the referendum questions supported giving retail establishments the choice to open on Dec. 26, while 62 per cent wanted retailers to have the same choice on the civic holiday in August.

In addition, 75 per cent of respondents to the referendum questions supported allowing stores to choose their own hours of operation.

Prior to the election, the Chamber of Commerce surveyed candidates on their views regarding the store hours questions.

Querney said at least seven members of the new council supported the “yes” side on two or more of the questions.

“We have a very strong mandate, and we expect things are going to change,” he said.

Ward 5 councillor-elect Robert Kirwan said in a press release he intends to introduce or support a motion to change the store hour bylaws if it turns out the majority of is constituents voted “yes” to the referendum questions.