Comments on: Wal-Mart makes my boss sad for our gene pool

By: Colin Corneau

Colin Corneau — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:08:03 +0000

Very true, Grant.

You can judge a community – and a people – by its architecture and that is one key way.

By: John Scott

John Scott — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:43:03 +0000

In Brandon, people on assistance (EIA) can get their social assistance cheques cashed at the downtown Royal Bank dollar for dolar, even though they might not have an account there. All they need is an authorization letter from the department of Family Services and Housing, which they can obtain from their EIA Counselor. There is no need for them to use one of the cash stores (which will take a percentage off the top for the favour of doing business with them.)

By: Grant Hamilton

Grant Hamilton — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 04:09:50 +0000

Dollar stores, liquor stores, pawn shops and cheque cashing outlets.* Not exactly your primo economic growth. And we’re blessed with so much choice in many of those outlets, here in Brandon.

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* cheque cashing outlets actually do serve an important function in that they serve a marginalized segment of society that banks don’t cater to. Western Union services, to immigrants in particular, is a need they fill. But it would be better to not have a marginalized segment of society in the first place.

By: Colin Corneau

Colin Corneau — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 23:38:08 +0000

I remember once I had a conversation with an American who mentioned that a) he was laid off his job after it got outsourced to Asia and b) that he shopped exclusively at Wal-Mart.

I tried to get him to see the interconnectedness of those statements, but to no avail.

Dollar stores are usually a sign of socio-economic decline.
I’m not gettin’ all judgey, just a statement of fact.