Big boxes, cold shoulder
On May 18, at the Ralph Thornton Centre on Queen Street East, politicians, developers and Leslieville residents met under the stewardship of Councillor Paula Fletcher (Ward 30, Toronto-Danforth) to discuss what many in the community had been fearing for months – namely, what one opponent called the “malignant” intrusion of big-box retail into their neighbourhood, Wal-Mart generally being the most feared tenant.