Manitoba wants gift cards that stand test of time

The Manitoba government may be following Ontario's lead in banning expiry dates on gift cards sold in the province.

On Sunday, Ontario Government Services Minister Gerry Phillips said he will introduce legislation this fall to get rid of the expiry dates on gift cards.

Manitoba Finance Minister Greg Selinger said Monday that the province is considering a similar move.

"We think that these gift cards are leaving a lot of money on the table that the consumers are losing," Selinger said.

"I had a conversation with the minister [in] Ontario on Friday, and and we're going to work to try to be on the same page as Ontario in terms of how we handle this issue."

The announcement came as promising news to Winnipeg resident Katie Andrews, who got married earlier this summer.

Of the many presents Andrews and her husband received on their wedding day, many were gift cards. But only one of them does not expire within two years.

"I think it would save a lot of people a lot of regret," she said Monday.

"I never even thought about the fact that they might expire."

The Retail Council of Canada said many gift cards have expiry dates because buying a card is like purchasing an account with the store.

"That's a product that needs to be maintained and serviced on a regular basis by the retailer, and there's a cost to doing that," said Derek Nighbor, the council's vice-president of national affairs.

However, some retailers such as Starbucks, Pier 1 and Future Shop have recently changed their policies to eliminate the expiry dates.