THE BUILDING OF THE SOBEY’S STORE |

by: Paul Bears -

Sobey’s has proposed building a supermarket in East Royalty. They have received a mixed reaction from Charlottetown residents and mer- chants. While some people see the new store as creating new jobs and being easily accesible, others see the new supermarket as threaten- ing present jobs, weakening the downtown core and hurting locally- owned businesses.

The Sobey’s proposal seems attrac- tive to residents as a convenient place to shop: parking would not be a problem, and shoppers could avoid downtown traffic. That very convenience, however, creates a problem for businesses in the downtown core. Other cities, such as Moncton, have seen their down- town collapse as shoppers were drawn to more easily accessible malls located in the suburbs.

Another part of Sobey’s proposal which seems attractive is the pro- mise of new jobs. We certainly need businesses that provide new job opportunities; but when they treaten existing jobs, we need to take a closer look. Many of the downtown merchants depend on shoppers visiting their stores while

getting groceries. The merchants have already seen some of their business going to the Charlotte- town Mall. The addition of another suburban supermarket could force some core businesses to start cut- ting back on staff or closing down.

One effect that many do not con- sider is the effect the Sobey’s store

would have on the Island Coopera- tive stores. These stores are sup- ported by a large number of island shareholders and are operated in ways that many islanders appre- ciate. Sobey’s, one of the biggest chains in Canada, probably would not feel the same level of responsi- bility to the island community.

Charlottetown residents can only gain by supporting locally-owned businesses.

On the surface, the building of the Sobey’s store seems attractive. However, in light of the problems such’a proposal could present to Charlottetown businessses, much more than a casual acceptence 1s

ETHIOPIA CRISIS NOT OVER

by:Sam Okello

According to sources from Primate World Relief and Development Fund, the crisis in Ethiopia continues.

“The absence of television images does not mean that the famine crisis has ended,” the PWDRF

reports.

The report mentions basic needs required by farmers in Ethiopia. Such needs include seeds, tools, fertilizers, veterinary supplies and ways to conserve water and store

crops. These needs are necessary in improving the welfare of mil- lions of people now facing starva- tion.

For a long time, Ethiopia has been a country where drought has over- whelmed an already precarious system of food production and dis- tribution. Behind the hunger crisis, lies an array of natural and man- made causes. The causes consist of climatic changes, deforestration, economic recession, trade-barriers, debt burden, inadequate infrastruc-

ture, land take-over for export crops, loss of skilled personnel, corruption and neglect of long-term development in the rural sector as Ethiopia scrambles to survive eco- nomic shocks.

The burden of these problems — local, national and international — is borne by the poor. The pic- tures of famine-striken Ethiopian men, women and children reveal the devastating effect of a failure to address the causes. The graphic photographs and gripping reports

of the Field and Steany tials CHARLOTTETOWN’S