There were good reasons the council of the day didn’t allow a Walmart Superstore with fresh items back in 2004.
Legitimate concerns were raised that the mammoth store would hurt local grocery stores.
Fair.
Thus, 20 years ago, representatives for the planned 85,000-square-foot Walmart agreed not to sell perishables, such as fresh meat, fish or produce.
And in 2024, we still certainly don’t want to push out local grocers who support our community and provide jobs to locals.
We also don’t want to threaten farmers’ markets or family farms, community gardens, and family businesses, like Farmers on Duty, due to a U.S. multinational retail corporation, which is one of the five chains that control 80% of the grocery market.
However, in 2024, after inflation kicked our butts, and with the skyrocketing cost of housing in town, we also need to be practical.
Some people are really struggling and need an inexpensive alternative, which Wally World will undoubtedly offer.
Also, back in 2004, our population of potential consumers was 15,400; it is about 30,000 now.
Thus, council should OK the proposed Walmart expansion into fresh goods.
There will undoubtedly be some folks who can afford to shop wherever they want who will decry the move for highbrow reasons.
But the people who are going to shop there likely can’t currently afford what is on offer elsewhere and instead are going without fresh options or turning to our food bank.
Squamish’s food bank serves about 400 people monthly, with over 1,000 visits.
Last year saw the highest level of food bank use in Canada on record, according to Canada’s Food Price Report, 2024.
The report also states that overall grocery prices increased by 5% to 7% in 2023.
At the same time, folks are spending less on food.
Canadians went from spending $261.24 per capita in August of 2022 to a monthly spend of $252.89 in August 2023.
“Canadians are facing stricter budgets as they contend with higher costs of living as rent continues to increase, interest rates have risen, and household debt is up,” reads the report, which also predicts continued rising costs this year.
The increase in food prices “can be predominantly attributed to the rising costs of inputs, heightened transportation expenses, and the detrimental effects of climate change on crop yields.”
So, if we are getting real here, we need to offer affordability where possible. Most of our current options aren’t cheap, so Walmart can fill that gap.
As a bonus, the store is already here, so we aren’t talking about increasing traffic or further damaging the environment.
Our choice is really to say no and watch our food bank line-ups grow, or we can allow a solution to grow at Walmart.
