Wal-Town: The Film

Sergeo Kirby

January 27, 2007

A group of activists are heading across Canada this Winter to warn Canadians against a beast they say is destroying communities and slashing human rights as it slashes prices.

Members of Wal-Town—a project by the Montreal-based non-profit überculture—have announced their third Canadian tour, this one in conjunction with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), continuing the campaign to raise awareness about the negative toll the Beast of Bentonville, a.k.a. Wal-Mart, has taken on Canadian communities since coming to the country over 10 years ago.

“Since appearing in Canada, Wal-Mart has lived up to its promise of low prices at any cost,” says Ezra Winton, member of the Wal-Town group. “Costs to labour rights, costs to community life, costs to the environment, costs to culture and costs to human rights.”

The group will visit Canadian communities from Newfoundland to the North West Territories to discuss their campaign and screen the recently released Wal-Town: The Film. This National Film Board documentary chronicles the group’s antics and activities over two years of touring in which they traveled Canada coast to coast. The current tour will use the film to prompt important questions about the role of Wal-Mart in Canadian communities, as well as the role of activists and the media in tackling important issues.

“We’re hoping to continue the much needed discussion about the effect that companies like Wal-Mart are having on Canada and around the world,” says Tim McSorley, another Wal-Town member. “The film shows how Canadians are standing up and resisting Wal-Mart and that no community is isolated in its fight.”