Site Fight Of The Week: Guelph, Ontario

At Wal-Mart Watch, we’ve typically focused on Wal-Mart site fights in the United States. But we want our friends north of the border to know we haven’t failed to notice their good work fighting Wal-Marts across Canada. Fighting Wal-Mart’s devastating effects is an equally important task in communities all across the World.

And no site fight in North America may be more infamous than Guelph, Ontario. For over 10 years Wal-Mart fought tooth-and-nail against residents to build a controversial superstore directly adjacent to the Ignatius Jesuit Center, which for years had been offering quiet and spiritual retreats to followers.

At long last, Wal-Mart got its way a built a 125,000 foot store. Now they want to make it bigger. The retail giant is trying to super-size its current store at Woodlawn Street and Woolwich Road with an extra 65,000 square feet—turning it into a massive supercenter that sells groceries. The plans also call for 195,000 square feet of additional retail space for other stores.

The expansion would look to put local grocery stores out of business and further endager other local merchants. As local resident Regg Struyk wrote in a letter to the Guelph Mercury:

Several family-owned businesses have closed since the big box came to town. Wal-Mart is hiring their employees at minimum wage and offering them cool aprons. What has been refreshing about Guelph is that it advocates good business, not just business.

Guelph Mayor Karen Farbridge keeps a regular blog. When you search it for “Wal-Mart,” you get this message: “Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn’t here.” There are thousands of Guelph residents who could only wish that were true.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

Help make sure Wal-Mart isn’t allowed to super-size its store in Guelph. Write a letter to the Mayor Farbridge and the City Council and tell them to stand up to Wal-Mart.

P.S.:Check out Wal-Mart Watch’s recently updated Canada page, a comprehensive source for Wal-Mart information in Canada. And we’re always trying to get the message about the truth about Wal-Mart out to new people, so if you know anyone would be interested, send it to a friend!

Posted by Eric Bull on Friday, July 25, 2008

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