Comment 79226

By Kiely (registered) | Posted July 05, 2012 at 14:51:09

Lots of grocery stores downtown. Let's be honest about what this money is hoping to attract: a major chain grocery store selling boxed frozen food catering to "non-ethnic" tastes. If you want fresh produce downtown has plenty of stores that offer that. Fresh bread? Ditto. Meat and fish? Again small stores exist. But if you want a President's Choice frozen meal in a box you need to walk or take the bus to Fortino's.

If the neighbourhood can support a grocery store, it will. Handing over money to attract a major chain to an area their own market data seems to indicate is not viable isn't a long term solution to a largely manufactured problem. People point to the money handed to developers in other parts of the city as a reason to allow this to happen, well two-wrongs don't make a right folks. What has macroeconomic engineering accomplished in other parts of the city over the past few decades? Has it been good for Hamilton? Do we have a proven track record with these types of schemes? Why will this be any different? Will the numbers still ad up after 5 years or are we just going to "rent" a grocery store for that long?

We have a very healthy community of independent grocers and the market in downtown Hamilton. Wooing a big chain for them to compete against, subsidized by taxpayer money, all for the promised "If we build it they will come" (who?) doesn't pass the smell (or common sense) test to me.

Throwing money around may buy you friends… but generally not the ones you want.

But meh, what's another 600k right?

Comment edited by Kiely on 2012-07-05 14:52:39

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