One of Toronto's largest malls is breaking with tradition and swinging open its doors for the Easter Sunday holiday.

Toronto Eaton Centre says it will be open for five hours on the holiday starting next March since shoppers tend to take a secular view of formal religious holidays.

Marketing director Meredith Vlitas says it should be up to consumers to decide whether they want to make a trip to the mall on Easter Sunday.

She says the mall's status as a designated tourist destination exempts it from city rules barring retailers from opening on the holiday.

The move comes as Toronto city hall debates a proposal to loosen the no-shopping rule, allowing stores to run limited hours on some holidays.

The Eaton Centre announcement arrives nine days before a council committee is set to tackle the issue.

Vlitas said the mall made the decision after gathering input from its tenants, neighbouring communities and shoppers themselves.

She said people in the city worship a range of religions, and shouldn't be held back from spending their cash in the mall on specific holidays.

"Toronto being one of the most diverse cities in the world, many treat the current religious holidays as secular statutory holidays and celebrate a variety of other religions events on many occasions throughout the year," she said.

"As strong advocates of consumer choice, Toronto Eaton Centre believes that consumers should ultimately determine where and when they can shop."

She said it will be up to the more than 230 tenants in the mall to decide whether to take advantage of the new Easter Sunday hours and open up for business.

The announcement means the only holiday the mall will remain closed for is Christmas.