Well it seems that Walmart is coming to Rupert. We could fight tooth and nail to stop it but it will still come. It’s the same message we are facing with Enbridge. These corporations are prepared for any retaliation that we have and so, to try and stop the arrival of Walmart is futile. However, while Walmart may be prepared for our protest, they are not prepared for our abandonment.

The one way in which we can put an end to Walmart is to allow it to fall and how will that happen? It will happen when we stop feeding the machine; when we stop putting our money into the coffers of Walmart; after all, Walmart runs on money. With no money, Walmart will cease to be.

There are countless reasons why Walmart needs to disappear. One reason is that statistically, it kills small businesses – and do not be mistaken, shopping at the local Walmart is not shopping ‘locally’. Rest assured that the dollars spent at Walmart anywhere are going to one place and one place only; I don’t have to tell you where that is.

What it comes down to is a need to change the system completely. It’s not just Walmart that is the problem. All big box stores (even Zellers) are big and rich for a reason; they exploit people in third world countries, degrade the environment and are driven by nothing, seemingly but profits.

The good news is that there are alternatives. The thing is; it is up to us to create this change. That is right. It is not up to the government or Wall Street or the executives at Walmart to tell us what to do. We know what they want us to do already; return to ‘business as usual’. We need to step up and change things for the better.

Changing the way we have been doing things over the past hundred years is going to take some time. After all, many people (even those well employed) are not able to afford the things they need from many places other than chain stores. Those on Government assistance have even less choice. This means that we need to provide new ways to create wealth in our community if we are to abandon Walmart.

We are being given the opportunity to create our own economy in Prince Rupert. A new way of doing business in our city can look very different than what we are used to. How this will look depends upon us, but first we must begin to move away from what is no longer serving us. Providing skills to create locally made products can start to put wealth into the pockets of low income people rather than already rich executives. Work-share programs can create alternative ways for people to share skills and build community, while local currencies can help us to keep money circulating in our city.

Wouldn’t you like to buy items built from local materials that last rather than items from a big box store which are made poorly by low-paid workers? On top of the resulting degradation of the land and people, buying from non-local sources perpetuates the cycle of poverty in our community.

We do not need Walmart. People shop there out of a feeling of powerlessness. Look at your life. Do you want to be disempowered so deeply that you are forced into a position where you must buy inferior products which are created from the blood of the earth and the exploitation of our brothers and sisters abroad? Or do you want to use the knowledge that we have gained over the past 100 years to build a system which will benefit all living things?

We have the choice. We have the will. Let’s abandon Walmart. Let’s take back our power. When Walmart comes to Rupert, I will not be shopping there; call it a boycott. By making this choice I am putting my energy into a new future for this fair city. Who will join me?