Boxing Day draws shoppers despite poor weather in Toronto, much of Ontario

Business analyst Ian Lee speaks about the competitive advantage of having brick and mortar stores and the shopping habits of Canadians this holiday season.

TORONTO — Shoppers in some Canadian cities braved heavy snow and wintry conditions on Boxing Day, undeterred by the challenging weather in their hunt for a good deal.

Much of southern Ontario stretching from Belleville in the east to Windsor in the south and Sault Ste. Marie in the west was under weather warnings, for either snow close to 15 centimetres in some places, or up 10 millimetres of freezing rain in others.

The Toronto Transit Commission issued a statement urging shoppers to leave their vehicles at home and use public transit, adding it was taking measures such as running anti-icing trains on subway lines to keep the system moving.

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The bad weather didn’t stop Cornel Fisic, who was on the hunt for a new pair of shoes Friday when he entered the busy Toronto Eaton Centre.

Standing among a sea of thousands, Fisic said he enjoys the novelty of Boxing Day, especially being physically at the brick-and-mortar retail stores rather than doing his shopping online.

Also among the Boxing Day shoppers was Gavin Gillespie, who was seen headed for the Adidas store at Eaton Centre, enticed by a 50 per cent off sale that he said was too hard to turn down given consumer goods becoming increasingly expensive under regular pricing.

“With inflation, you’re getting a good deal with 50 per cent off,” said Gillespie, adding he comes to the mall every year on Boxing Day rather than browsing deals online.

“It’s not that I don’t trust being online, it’s just — you try it on, you know you can take it home and it’s fine. I don’t live too far away and it’s good to get outside.”

In Montreal, shoppers were seen waiting outside of stores inside the Eaton Centre mall downtown, with many expressing a preference for shopping in-person for the experience on Boxing Day.

Montrealer Éloise, who did not give a last name, was among those at the Bath and Body Works shop and said that going shopping with others was a big reason for braving the cold and buying at retail stores in-person.

“You can do things before and after,” she said of going out to shop on Boxing Day. “You can do one day of that, so it’s a bit more fun.”

The enthusiasm in Toronto and Montreal was not shared in Halifax, where streets were quiet across Nova Scotia as most stores and shopping centres closed for the day thanks to provincial legislation.

Nearly 20 years ago, Nova Scotia named Boxing Day as a “retail closing day,” which means only certain essential stores, like pharmacies, can stay open.

As a result, while malls and parking lots were full elsewhere in the country, Nova Scotia’s streets were quiet — and some preferred it that way.

A thread on the Halifax reddit page last year asked if it was time to overturn the legislation, and allow stores to open on Boxing Day. The overwhelming response was no.

Commenters responded that retail workers “deserve two days off over Christmas,” and some suggested that Boxing Day be made a full statutory holiday, meaning retail workers would get paid time off.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 26, 2025.