Stop the food deserts
For about 30 years, it’s been an Extra Foods but long before that, the grocery store on Broadway and Main has been Nutana’s neighborhood destination for affordable, healthful food. On April 23, the store is closing. For people who live in this place relied on as a walking community, the news is worrisome. Why are our core neighborhoods turning into food deserts and how can we stop it?
First off, I believe there is hope in saving Extra Foods because Loblaws is a mammoth company who may choose to allow revenue giants like Superstore and No Frills locations to float this little shop in exchange for some positive PR. It is worth joining the letter-writing campaign. Please make your voice heard by clicking here. Also note that while there is a rumor that Loblaws is simply closing the location to make it into a No Frills, heresay is that the option was already decided against a few years ago because the building didn’t have enough square footage.
Now, let’s talk about food deserts. When people in a neighborhood have trouble accessing affordable, healthy food, they’re said to live in a food desert. According to a food access report by Saskatoon Health Region, the neighborhoods affected in 2020 were Saskatoon’s core and surrounding areas: Holiday Park, King George, most of Riversdale, portions of Caswell Hill, Pleasant Hill, Westmount, and Mount Royal. I grew up shopping at Dominion right in Midtown Plaza so I’m confused as to why, as grocery stores closed in the core, we haven’t done enough to attract them back. Grocery stores do have thin margins but especially as our city encourages densification in its core, easy access to affordable food must be a priority.
Sure there are plenty of incredible restaurants and local grocery gems like Little Market Box, but as much as I support and enjoy them, one needs only to glance at Saskatoon’s income stats to see that specialty shops are budget-prohibitive for so many people. After Extra Foods closes, Broadway will only have Steep Hill Co-Op and although it’s a great little destination with lower prices than you might expect (with no membership required, by the way), they don’t carry Cheerios.
Basic foods at low prices are a requirement.
Can we not offer tax abatements to grocers who will operate in neighborhoods in need of their service? Loblaws says Extra Foods is unprofitable so in my mind, letting it close and hoping for someone else to step in is wishful. Who wants to try and make a go of something an industry giant says is hopeless? We need to sweeten the pot.
Although on the surface, the Broadway-Nutana area seems affluent, let’s not forget there are seniors who’ve lived there for the better part of their lives. Extra Foods is their grocery store. There are people who chose an apartment there because it meant they didn’t have to budget a car. This is their grocery store.
What I would love to see is something like Pitchfork Market set up shop and hire the awesome Extra Foods staff who will soon be losing their jobs. If Loblaws goes through with the closure, I hope the City will help make it an attractive possibility for that team because they’ve already proven in The Meadows that their model works. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for a downtown location as well.
And then, it’s on the community to support the little guys. I’m not saying to abandon your Costco membership completely but those of us with cars have to make an effort to grab more than a jug of milk at our local stores. Otherwise when we find our favourite neighborhood dry up into a food desert, we can only blame ourselves.
Need an affordable, healthy food resource? Click here to learn about CHEP Good Food boxes.
xo Maygen
p.s. I know it’s a weird job but I’m an influencer on Instagram. Please follow me at @sneaksandlipstick & support my little business:)
