Personally, I absolutely love his energy and mission. His fight reminds me of my own experience challenging restrictive norms in Toronto real estate. There was a time when releasing sold data was practically forbidden—gatekeeping information was viewed as the only value proposition for agents. Imagine that! Like Magder, I believed this restriction was outdated nonsense. Transparency and access to data are what empower people, whether they’re shopping for a home or running a business. Magder’s commitment to challenging illogical restrictions resonates deeply with me.

The Battle for Sunday Shopping: Standing Up Against Outdated Nonsense

In the 1980s, Ontario’s Retail Business Holidays Act required most businesses to close on Sundays, enforcing what was essentially a Christian day of rest. This might have made sense in a homogenous 19th-century Ontario, but for a multicultural and secular city like Toronto in the late 20th century? It was completely out of touch.

Magder saw this law for what it was—religiously biased and a hindrance to small business owners like him. So, he kept his fur shop open on Sundays, defying the law and accumulating over $11,000 in fines between 1985 and 1988. He took his fight all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, arguing that the law violated his rights under Section 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees freedom of religion and conscience.

Although the court ultimately dismissed his case on a technicality, Magder’s defiance sparked public outrage over the law and pushed the government to repeal Sunday shopping restrictions in 1992. Today, Toronto thrives as a city where businesses operate freely seven days a week—and we have Magder’s fight to thank for it. Kudos to Paul for standing up in the face of illogical bylaws that held back progress.

From Spadina to St. Clair: A Life Rooted in Community

Paul Magder wasn’t just a fighter in the public arena—he was deeply connected to his family and his neighborhood. Born into a family of furriers, Magder inherited his father’s shop on Spadina Avenue, where it became a landmark of Toronto’s once-thriving garment district. For nearly 80 years, Magder Furs served the community, even as Spadina evolved and other businesses disappeared.

At home, Magder and his wife, Ruth, raised four children in Toronto’s St. Clair West neighborhood, a vibrant and diverse area where Magder’s values of fairness and integrity found their roots. He wasn’t just a businessman or an activist—he was a father, a neighbor, and a community member who believed in standing up for what’s right, whether it was at city hall or around the dinner table.

A Legacy Worth Celebrating

Paul Magder wasn’t just a furrier or a disruptor—he was a champion of fairness, modernity, and the kind of logic that we all wish guided more of our laws. His fight against Sunday shopping laws was more than a battle for his business; it was a fight for a better Toronto, one that embraced its diversity and the realities of its residents.

Personally, I admire how Magder refused to accept “business as usual” when it didn’t make sense. It reminds me of pushing for the release of sold data in Toronto real estate. Like Magder’s fight, advocating for transparency wasn’t always popular, but it was necessary. The belief that withholding information could be a value proposition was just as outdated as Sunday shopping laws. Magder’s story is a reminder that challenging the status quo doesn’t just benefit the challenger—it creates better systems for everyone.

Kudos to Paul Magder—and to everyone else who fights for fairness and progress. Toronto wouldn’t be the city it is today without people like him