Walmart won’t define us

For years, the question of whether Lindsay would ever get a Walmart has bedevilled local councillors, pressured city planners, and caused an embarrassing amount of handwringing on social media message boards. 

If only we could talk this much about important social issues, perhaps we could solve more challenges together. 

As first reported by Randy Neals on Advocate Online, we now know a SmartCentre development is moving ahead. The reaction has been predictable — excitement from some, dread from others, and plenty of speculation about what this means for our downtown. 

But the spilled ink on whether Walmart is coming has now given way to ‘why can’t they build it faster.’ 

For some, the big box store’s arrival is akin to the plague, a corporate malady that will hollow out Lindsay’s downtown. Yes, that has happened in some U.S. and Canadian towns in the past. We suggest it won’t happen here. 

Lindsay’s downtown is a special place, healthier than most centres its size and postcard perfect in so many ways. The customers who shop downtown — for cafés, boutiques, services, and local experiences — are not the same customers who drive to Peterborough or Oshawa for bargain hunting. Walmart will not replace the charm or purpose of Kent Street. It will serve a different need entirely. 

And that’s the point. For many families, especially those watching every dollar, Walmart already exists in their lives — it just exists somewhere else. Every week, money leaves Kawartha Lakes for Peterborough, or Oshawa. When Walmart arrives here, those dollars stay here. That doesn’t mean we celebrate the arrival uncritically. But it does mean we acknowledge the economic reality: people need affordable goods, and right now they’re travelling to get them. Do we wish it was a viable Canadian company – especially in this geopolitical climate? Of course. 

We note a local Walmart will also create jobs, though we should be honest about what kind. Walmart jobs are not living wage positions, and most jobs come without benefits. These are not the careers, save a few, that build long term financial stability for families. They are entry-level, part-time, and often precarious. We can welcome the convenience and economic recirculation Walmart brings while still insisting that workers deserve better — from Walmart and from any employer operating in Kawartha Lakes. 

Walmart’s arrival is not a verdict on Lindsay’s identity. It reflects who we already are: a growing community with diverse needs, incomes, and expectations. The challenge — and our opportunity — is to double down on the continuous effort to improve downtown Lindsay. 

Walmart won’t define us. How we respond will.