Dear Editor,
So we came through another Christmas season and Walmart is happier than happiness should get. Retailers in Maple Creek struggle to stay alive, but the draw to Medicine Hat and Swift Current is too great to overcome. Mostly Walmart, but Sears, The Bay, Canadian Tire, Zellers continue to import hard-earned Maple Creek dollars. The result is, one larger retailer in town is considering closing this year. Several jobs will be lost. They didn’t open in town just to close down, they opened to stay in business for a long time providing goods at competitive pricing for the benefit of local shoppers.
They just did not expect Maple Creek people to travel so far for questionable savings and turn their backs on local merchants. That’s why business buildings in town are run down. There’s no money nor incentives to fix anything up. Maple Creek will become an old tired town with a limited future if things stay the way they are.
Lucky for Walmart though. They’re cheering for local shoppers: “Stay with us.” These larger retailers don’t care about Maple Creek, they don’t pay taxes, they don’t pay utilities, don’t pay wages here; local people do, but they still shop in the city. Lucky Medicine Hat, what a future!
Jim Kozmyk
Saskatoon
Local Fields store owner