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Giant Tiger clsosure creates giant headache for l'île de Hull residents

Trouble finding basic groceries in downtown Hull just got worse.

The Giant Tiger store on Eddy Street has announced it's shutting down this spring after an estimated 60 years in business.

While the closure is a loss for those who rely on the store for groceries, it may provide an opportunity for a group that has been trying to open a co-op grocery in the community for more than a decade.

The head of the co-op Épicerie de l'Île de Hull, Réjean Laflamme said he plans to approach the building's owner to find out whether it could become the new home for his non-profit venture.

It's not the first time the co-op has eyed that location.

'There's going to be a lot people upset around here because there are a lot of people, low income, here and they all shop here.' - Joe Pinkus, Giant Tiger customer

Laflamme said he approached Giant Tiger three years ago to see if the store would consider a joint venture. It wasn't.

"Now that they're closing, we'll see if they're interested in working with us," he said.

The co-op has put together a couple of market studies suggesting the neighbourhood could support a store, but finding a home for has not been easy.

A number of projects have fallen through over the last decade, including ventures with big companies like Sobeys and Provigo.

Most recently, a joint-venture with grocery chain Metro fell apart because of high rent demanded by the landlord, he said.

City funding short

The city of Gatineau has at times earmarked some $300,000 to help launch the project to open a real grocery store in the neighbourhood since 2000.

Prior to the last municipal election, some of the money went to other projects, leaving around $87,000. Laflamme expects that amount to be topped up if the co-op lands another deal.

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Radio Canada

But the city councillor representing Hull-Wright, Cédric Tessier, said there are no guarantees.

"I'm just one of 19 councillors," he said.

But Tessier hopes the other councillors will consider the urgency of the matter now that Giant Tiger is set to shutter its doors.

"Right now we have a budget to support a non-profit organization that wants to open a grocery store downtown," he said.

'It's become catastrophic'

The downtown Hull area has been struggling as a so-called "food desert" with residents having to buy most of their food from corner stores or restaurants.

"It's become catastrophic, literally," said Laflamme.

He said seniors and other low-income families with no car will be stuck taking taxis to get basic groceries as grocery stores continue to move out of the area.

Hull isn't the only area struggling with food deserts.

Across the river, Ottawa public health has also identified a number of neighbourhoods with the same problem.

"People that live in these areas with poor access to grocery stores are consistently found to have a poorer diet, high rates of obesity, higher rates of diabetes and higher rates of cardiovascular diseases," explained Dr. Elizabeth Kristjansson who works on the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study.

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In downtown Hull, Giant Tiger represented one of the last locations where residents could buy food at a reasonable price without a car.

"There's no other places around here," said Joe Pinkus, who lives in the area.

"Every day, I buy my staples here," he said.

"There's going to be a lot people upset around here because there are a lot of people, low income, here and they all shop here."