I’ve been reading, with not a great deal of interest, until now, about whether Wal-Mart will join our city cheerfully, or not cheerfully, or not at all.
But I have become very interested. With a university, the Royal Bank, the Stratford Institute ... likely bringing hundreds of new citizens to our city and “smart-meters” coming, and “cap and trade” beckoning, living in this (and any other) city will become even more costly. Even now, the “disappearing” middle class, the working poor and those on benefits, are having trouble adjusting.
I was reading an article in Maclean’s that states “the presence of a Wal-Mart ... improves overall consumer welfare by 3.75 per cent a year – a massive benefit greater than any tax cut or new social assistance program could ever achieve.”
The article also states that a Wal-Mart has an influence on rival stores to keep the prices of goods/foods lower.

Ron Wood
Stratford