EDMONTON – Edmonton City Councillor Michael Janz is spearheading a movement to stop major grocery chains from using “anti-competitive” tactics that leave several residential neighborhoods without access to essential food supplies. The issue stems from the use of restrictive covenants—legal clauses used by large companies to prevent rival grocers from opening in locations they have vacated or currently own but haven’t developed.
Pointing to the Griesbach neighborhood as a primary victim of this practice, where residents have lacked a local supermarket for over a decade due to corporate land-banking, Janz argues that these monopolies force residents to travel long distances and contribute to artificially high food prices. To combat this, he has announced plans to introduce a motion next week urging the Alberta provincial government to follow Manitoba’s lead by passing legislation that bans such property restrictions. While Service Alberta Minister Dale Nally has stated the government is closely monitoring Manitoba’s progress, Janz insists that immediate provincial intervention is necessary to ensure that community retail spaces serve the public’s needs rather than corporate interests.
