Are you one of those people who is torn between hating Walmart for all of the reasons that people hate the mega-market, and loving Wal-Mart because of their ridiculously low prices? Well, as Buffalo waits in the wings to see if and when/where Wal-Mart will land, other cities continue to wage war against the impending conquest of neighborhoods. Many Torontonians are currently fighting to prevent Wal-Mart from spreading its gigantic wings on Bathurst Street, near Kensington Market. Opponents are saying that the giant would tear apart the urban fabric that they have come to love, by creating a 129,000 sq’ shopping center. To learn more about the proposed Wal-Mart anchored mall, you can follow the developments on Facebook – see Friends of Kensington Market.
If you’re wondering what our neighbors to the north are worried about, then you might want to read this informative article in SALON. It tells the tale of Asheville NC, and its successful pursuit to invest in non-sprawl developments, in order to restore the economic climate of the city. Buffalo can learn a lot from Asheville and its stance on tax revenue generating and job creation. It’s not just about job wages, foreign labor and squashing small businesses any more. It’s about crunching numbers and doing what’s right for a city, not for a power house corporation that usually gets its way no matter where it goes. Here’s the article that spells out a few compelling reasons why the group Friends of Kensington Market is doing the right thing by attempting to block Wal-Mart from moving into an already productive and energized part of the city.