Co-op scraps long-simmering plans for affordable Hull grocery store

A co-operative dedicated to opening an affordable grocery store in downtown Gatineau, Que., is giving up on its plans after 20 years of work.

"It was heartbreaking and [upsetting] to propose this," said Réjean Laflamme, chairman of the board of directors for La coopérative de solidarité Épicerie de l'île de Hull, in a French-language interview with Radio-Canada.

Gatineau's Hull neighbourhood has been labeled a "food desert" by residents. The problem has been brewing since 1999, when the only major grocery store at the time shut down, according to Steve Moran, the councillor for the Hull-Wright district and a member of the co-op.

The co-op was formed by residents in 2005 to solve that problem.

It had several false starts through the years, but things seemed to be looking up in 2021 when the City of Gatineau reserved land for the co-op to build on.

But rising construction costs and interest rates since the COVID-19 pandemic have made the co-op's profit margins too small to be sustainable, said Laflamme.

Market hasn't responded to need

Since 1999, Hull residents have had to string together their grocery shopping by patronizing convenience stores and other shops that don't offer an array of cheap, healthy food, Moran said.

Just one independent grocery store — Saveurs Épicerie Urbaine, which opened last fall —serves the island.

Moran told CBC the situation is driven in part by the fact Hull is a relatively poor community.

"The private market for groceries — and this has been well established back for a long time — responds well to the needs of people who are more prosperous, and poorly to the needs of people who are not wealthy," he said. 

Moran pointed out that downtown grocery stores also have to compete with the ones further from the core, where it's easier to operate thanks to factors like cheaper parking.

A 'notorious' food desert

Moran said the city was "really banking" on the co-op's grocery store to support the community, but now it will have to look for "other windows to be able to respond to the variety of people's needs." 

The arrival of Saveurs last fall was "the first, hopefully, of many" grocery stores, he added.

"The market is mature enough to have more than one" Moran said, noting the area is still "a notorious food desert."

Laflamme agreed that even though the co-op store wouldn't move forward, there is still dire need in Hull.

Dany Plante, the owner of Saveurs Épicerie urbaine, said he had no objection to more competition and that diversity in grocery stores would be a good thing.

"It's a shame, because there are a lot of people who depend on us," Plante said in French to Radio-Canada.

"The more offerings there are, the better the people in the city centre will be served. But we will continue to be there for them."