Thread by @leleinah

🧵 Some thoughts about the closure of Extra Foods on Broadway
#yxe

1. In 2015, Loblaws closed all Shop Easy locations, including the one in City Park. That store was walking distance for approx. 25,000 people.

cbc.ca/news/canada/sa…

2. Loblaws placed a restrictive covenant on that site = future owners can't open a grocery store. Through community organizing, that covenant was lifted.

globalnews.ca/news/2938642/f…

But grocers did not flock to the site. SREDA completed a Downtown Grocery Store Market Sounding in 2017. It shows why grocers are weary of downtown.

saskatoon.ca/sites/default/…

4. The City has tried many ways to lure grocers, including tax abatements. Saskatoon is caught in a maddening loop of "more people would live downtown if there was a grocery store" and "a grocery store would open if more people lived downtown."

5. You know what also comes up a lot as a prohibitive factor?

PARKING.

Many in Saskatoon lose their shit over this. That's a thread for another day.

6. The City Centre Food Coop (CCFC) was founded in response to Shop Easy closing. We researched many options: co-op store, online delivery, pop-up markets, distribution centre for local producers.

7. None were feasible without significant cash investment, which none of us had. It's also hard to get a loan if you don't own the building site.

8. It is EXPENSIVE to sell groceries. The profit margin is TINY unless you are a large chain supermarket with a large tract of land. That kind of square footage doesn't exist downtown.

millionacres.com/real-estate-in…

9. For 3 years, the CCFC offered a fruit & veg pop up market every Thursday at the Community Service Village (25th St and 5th Ave), thanks to @CHEPGoodFood's market programming.

The market has been on hold since March 2020.

10. Last year, we published a guide on where to purchase food in the city centre, illustrated map and all:

citycentrefoodcoop.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/pages-…

11. (By the way, feel free to make a donation to support hard copy print runs! E-transfers can be sent to [e-mail])

12. But even the best community mapping cannot change the neoliberal landscape of "awful but lawful" real estate practices.

The isn't something the City can change - it is provincial jurisdiction. This is up to the government of Saskatchewan.

13. What does this mean for Broadway? There is a Shoppers Drug Mart at Broadway & Taylor, (which is owned by Loblaws). This is extra incentive for land sale clauses because L will try to re-route consumers to Shoppers.

14. Community can lobby against these restrictions, especially with strong involvement from City Councillors. There is precedent in Saskatoon.

15. An advantage that the Broadway location has is a parking lot. This could encourage another grocery store to open there.

But honestly? Don't hold your breath.

16. If you have the means, support small grocers, especially "ethnic" ones (god I hate that label).

Did I mention that the CCFC has an amazing map?

citycentrefoodcoop.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/pages-…

17. Sign up for a CHEP Good Food Box. chep.org/good-food-box/

And support their fundraiser if you can: chep.org/empty-bowls-20…

18. Final thought: I try not to use the term 'food desert' anymore because this is bigger than geography.

This is war on the poor.

19. Final final thought: Go follow the CCFC on Instagram. The content is incredible and inspiring. @citycentrefoodcoop.

Fin.

You know what I completely forgot to mention? That I co-authored a book chapter on restrictive convenants. I'm awkward about self-promotion...

universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1332/p…