NO
Dear Editor,
Re: “Grocery store option coming to Steveston?” News, Oct. 21
I don’t think that another grocery store in Steveston is a good idea at all.
Steveston is small enough to begin with and as someone who lives in the Steveston neighbourhood, I really don’t think it’s necessary.
The grocery store in Steveston is already fairly large for anyone to find whatever they need.
Besides, if someone was looking for something in Super Grocer and couldn’t find the item, there’s a local Safeway, less than five minutes away.
I think the empty space should be used for a dollar store; Staples, for the high school students in need of some school supplies; or a fast food place to replace the absence of McDonald’s, such as Tim Hortons, A&W, a bubble tea store or White Spot.
Personally, I think that having more, smaller stores in Steveston is more beneficial than having one bigger one because for one thing, the government gets paid more by the taxes that are split throughout many stores.
Plus, there’s more variety for customers to browse through, and it provides more job opportunities.
Simply having something unique and special in Steveston will draw a lot of people to Steveston which is great for business because Steveston isn’t just a neighbourhood; it’s also a tourist site with a nice vibe and it’s a great place for friends to hang out.
A second grocery store would just steal business from the already existing grocery store which would cause them both to be unsuccessful and result in one of them having to shut down due to the lack of business.
It would create quite a few unemployed people and the controversy of having a big, empty space in Steveston will start all over again.
I believe that the hard labour of building a whole new grocery store should go into renovating and improving the quality of what we already have, Super Grocer.
Jessica Peng
Richmond
YES
Dear Editor,
Re: “Grocery store option coming to Steveston?” News, Oct. 21.
I agree that Steveston needs a grocery store but I strongly believe that grocery store should not be chain store.
Over the past few years, Steveston has been modernized and this has changed Steveston for the better.
However, it has also resulted in Steveston becoming a tourist destination and losing some of its history and culture.
My family has lived in Steveston for a long time now and I find it sad to see our history being erased.
My dad tells me stories of how Steveston used to be and the differences are dramatic.
Instead of building a chain grocer, I believe a grocery store with foods such as fish and fresh produce caught and grown locally will be a much better alternative.
If we do this, we will be supporting our community operators and giving them work, which will also help preserve our culture.
Having local foods in the grocer will also make the store unique and healthy which I believe will be popular with the citizens of Steveston.
There is obvious interest in a grocery store in Steveston but I hope when deciding what grocer will come to Steveston, everyone considers a grocer that will have locally grown and caught food.
Jazmine Tufnail
Richmond
