Residents of east end Toronto, represented by city councillor Paula Fletcher, are demanding that developers come clean with their plans for a parcel of land now occupied by Toronto Film Studios. Rumours have circled for months now that Wal-Mart is a central tenant to the development plan being put forward by Rose Corp. and SmartCentres Inc. Wal-Mart often plays a central role in SmartCentres' plans, serving as the anchor for other big box stores.

In response to the developers keeping mum about Wal-Mart's presence, and the overall nature of which stores will be included, residents mobilised for last Tuesday's community council meeting, denouncing the project and expressing their worry about the effect of a big-box development on a neighbourhood that is in the process of rebuilding.

"It is tantamount to shooting this fledgling neighbourhood in the head," local resident Victoria Dinnick told cbc.ca.

Councilor Fletcher also submitted a motion calling on the developers to submit a detailed plan about what they plan to do with the 700,000 square foot complex. The motion will be going to Toronto city council next month.

While the project is still in the development phase, things have already started to heat up. The City of Toronto has already submitted a case with the Ontario Municipal Board, stating they want the project, slated to be built on land zoned "employment," to include less commercial development. Fears include that commercial retail jobs will be low paying, and that the level of traffic to big box stores could be harmful for the neighbourhood. Developers have defended their plans as being pedestrian friendly, but critics have pointed to the slated 2,000 parking places as a sign of how much traffic the developers hope to generate.

More coverage from the Toronto Star, CBC.ca

Paula Fletcher's website: http://www.paulafletcher.ca/