January 26, 2005
Retail giant never been denied approval in Canada, official says
Proposed Wal-Mart ignites sparks in Edmonton
EDMONTON
It started out quietly enough.
About 200 homeowners who filled a school gymnasium in north Edmonton last week listened politely as consultant Jim Brown stood before a big overhead screen and outlined plans for a proposed local Wal-Mart.
It was the third proposal the developer had brought back to the community after various objections were raised about the first two.
When he finished, the mood shifted. For residents who didn’t want the largest retailer on the planet moving into their little corner of the world, it was go-time.
“We do not need Wal-Mart in north Edmonton. What we need is parks so we can have a good quality of life for our families!” cried out Natalie Gago-Esteves while most of the crowd applauded and whistled.
“When we bought land here we built our dream homes,” resident Fateh Suleman said. “We need to live in peace!” he yelled at Brown to more applause and foot-stomping.
“Wal-Mart is a billion-dollar corporation and they’re in it for the money. We all know that,” another man said.
Arkansas-based Wal-Mart has grown steadily since it came to Canada in 1994 and took over the Woolco chain. There are now more than 235 Wal-Marts across the country employing 70,000 Canadians. Last year the discount chain opened 30 stores north of the border.
The reason Wal-Mart wants to build the store there is because there’s a market, Brown said. A survey showed a majority of people in the area want it.
One of those supporters was Betty Claassen, who received a round of applause from about two dozen people at the meeting when she spoke in favour of the proposed store. The store would go up right by her house.
Claassen said later she could hardly wait for the giant store to open. “I want to go work at Wal-Mart.”
Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Groh said typically there is a “very vocal minority” that oppose the store when his company comes to town. He travelled from the Canadian home office in Mississauga, Ont., to attend the meeting.
“I think there is something sexy and intriguing and controversial about Wal-Mart,” he said in an interview. “It boils down to being the world’s biggest corporation and being a massive target.”
He said this project in north Edmonton had been particularly contentious. The proposed store would be built next to a new subdivision of large homes. A mature neighbourhood is on the other side.
Some residents fear traffic congestion will increase and property values will fall.
Suleman said he and others organized a 2,500-name petition opposing the project when it was first tabled two years ago but noted the company is forging ahead.
“They keep pushing,” he said.
Wal-Mart plans to finalize its application for a zoning change and the matter will go before Edmonton city council by mid-year.
Wal-Mart has faced similar opposition elsewhere. A long-standing controversy in Guelph, Ont., has seen the Jesuits religious order pitted against the retail giant over a proposed outlet.
Groh said that while various municipal councils have told the company to go back to the drawing board and alter its plans, so far the retailer has not been denied an approval.
Nor has Wal-Mart pulled out of a project in the face of local opposition. A lot of work goes into picking a site and making sure it is compatible with a community. If the location makes good business sense, the company is persistent, he said.
“You never want to judge the overall community res- ponse based on attendance at a meeting like this,” he said.
No matter what the development, especially if it’s a large one, there will be people who oppose it, he said.
The Canadian Press
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