The City of Stratford might not be thrilled to have American retail giant Walmart setting up shop within its borders, but they received word this week of a silver lining.
Walmart has agreed to pay the city $1.25 million – nearly the amount the city spent fighting Walmart’s arrival in court – with no strings attached.
“They actually recognized the challenges they caused the city through this and we came to this agreement,” Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson tells CTV.
The American retail behemoth is building a small store in the east end of Stratford.
It’s not the full-size store they were hoping for, but it’s also not the complete lack of presence the city wanted to see.
Court battles between the two sides raged for nearly a decade, with the Ontario Municipal Board ultimately permitting Walmart to build the smaller-sized store.
The city says it plans to take the money and put it toward a project to redevelop a parking lot behind City Hall.
The site, which already acts as a transit hub, will be renovated to become a more people-centric space.
Resident Sheila Clarke says she likes the idea, even if she’s not nuts about who’s ultimately paying for it.
“I’m delighted that money will go to revitalizing our town centre. It needs it,” she says.
“One mustn’t look a gift horse in the mouth but at the same time, it does disturb me that the money is coming from Walmart.”
Mathieson says the cost of the project, which may include an ice rink, will go well beyond Walmart’s contribution, and the sole item to bear the Walmart name will be a small plaque.
“They get no naming rights. They don’t have any say in the project,” he says.
“That allows us as a community to start doing consultation on what people want in that square.”
The city says it hopes the first phase of the site will be complete by 2017.
