A majority of Steinbach residents who were surveyed in the past two weeks say they want Sunday shopping. The poll was commissioned and paid for by Steinbach resident David Banman. He engaged a research company to do a random survey of 400-500 people using both landlines and cell phones. It sought out people in all age groups and is considered accurate to within plus or minus 3%, 18 times out of 20.

David BanmanBanman says while the survey covered a range of topics, the answer on Sunday shopping is quite clear.

"One thing is certain and that is that a clear majority of people want to see Sunday shopping in Steinbach. As of now, about 60.4% of decided voters want to give business owners the choice to be open on Sunday while about 39.6% want to keep things the way they are."

Banman adds while the survey also determined there is enough support for him to win the election for mayor, he has decided not to run.

"I've actually been blown away with all the support, not just from the poll but with phone calls, e-mails and texts. My phone has been ringing and I haven't been able to get much work done, so it's actually been a very humbling experience to have that much support from the public. I think the numbers show that there's enough support for me to win the election, but I think I'm just going to focus on my efforts here, advocating for Sunday shopping and getting a referendum during the election cycle. I'm very happy with my work life and my family life and I don't really want to change that at this point."

As for the results of a survey question on whether the city should allow retail cannabis outlets, Banman says he won't release the details because he doesn't want to interfere in the plebiscite being held this fall. He will also not release results about where people stand regarding things like a multiplex and a performing arts centre. One other outcome he has released though involves customer satisfaction with local retailers.

"People were generally very satisfied in comparison, especially to Winnipeg, as to the services they get here and the quality of the service. I think that's not really a surprise to anybody but it was overwhelming that people prefer to shop in Steinbach rather than in Winnipeg if they had the choice."