When Rae assumed office, the Retail Business Holidays Act of Ontario had recently been found unconstitutional
by the Supreme Court of Ontario, meaning that many stores were allowed to open legally on Sundays for the first time.
 Rae announced that his government planned to introduce legislation for a "common pause day" across Ontario, "to help strengthen family and community life while protecting small business and the rights of workers".
 In practice, this initiative would have required many retail establishments to close on Sundays, with exemptions for religious minority communities.
The province also appealed the court ruling to a higher court, the Ontario Court of Appeal, which restored the previous status quo.

However, many retail owners as well as members of the general public preferred Sunday shopping to be legal,
and in 1992 the Rae government yielded to the pressure and reversed its position, amending the Retail Business Holidays Act so that only statutory holidays, and not Sundays, would be common pause days.
When Rae assumed office, the Retail Business Holidays Act of Ontario had recently been found unconstitutional
by the Supreme Court of Ontario, meaning that many stores were allowed to open legally on Sundays for the first time.  Rae announced that his government planned to introduce legislation for a "common pause day" across Ontario, "to help strengthen family and community life while protecting small business and the rights of workers".  In practice, this initiative would have required many retail establishments to close on Sundays, with exemptions for religious minority communities. The province also appealed the court ruling to a higher court, the Ontario Court of Appeal, which restored the previous status quo.
However, many retail owners as well as members of the general public preferred Sunday shopping to be legal,
and in 1992 the Rae government yielded to the pressure and reversed its position, amending the Retail Business Holidays Act so that only statutory holidays, and not Sundays, would be common pause days.
Bob Rae