The corporate appellants, retail businesses, and their employees sought declarations that the Ontario Retail Business Holidays Act was unconstitutional, alleging it infringed freedom of religion and equality rights under the Charter.
The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed the appeals, holding that the appellants lacked standing.
The Court found that while there was a serious issue as to the Act's validity and the appellants were directly affected, there were other reasonable and effective ways to bring the issue before the court, as evidenced by their reliance on the evidentiary record of another case.
The Court also held that the appellants could not claim their own religious rights were violated without specific factual evidence.
