Ottawa families can ski, skate or dine on their day off Monday, but one activity they can't enjoy together on Family Day is shopping at the Rideau Centre.

Stores in Ottawa tourist areas that are open on Canada Day and Thanksgiving will be closed on Ontario's newest statutory holiday, and merchants are blaming the provincial and municipal governments.

The Rideau Centre learned too late that it needed to apply to the City of Ottawa for a special exemption in order to open on Feb. 18, which has been designated Family Day, said Cindy VanBuskirk, the mall's general manager.

"There was a colossal amount of misinformation … to the point where we believed that we could be open on that day," she said.

The Rideau Centre, Rideau Street and the Byward Market are usually allowed to be open on statutory holidays because they're designated tourist areas.

VanBuskirk found out Wednesday that exemption wouldn't automatically apply on Family Day.

"I believe what should have happened is the province should have given some proper instructions to the municipalities," VanBuskirk said. "Perhaps the municipalities should have been asking the province for clarification. And in fact some common sense should have been applied."

Merchants such as Mo Charania, co-owner of Jubilee Fine Jewellers, said that means the holiday will cost them money.

"There will be no revenues coming in and of course we have to compensate our staff as a stat holiday," he said.

VanBuskirk said that without question, the Rideau Centre will be open on Family Day in 2009.