The rumor about Walmart Watching.... is true!

Walmart Will Use Electronic “Smart” Tags to Track Clothing

If you thought there wasn’t already enough to get riled up over when it came to Walmart, here comes news that this big-box retailer will soon be employing “smart” tags to manage their inventory. While this move may simply seem like an obvious technological trade-up, don’t be fooled, these electronic tags are doing a lot more than telling the store what’s on the shelves. Retailers have long employed radio-frequency ID (RFID) tags to track pallets of merchandise as they move from storage to store, but Walmart will be the first implement this technology where consumers roam. While they are removable, RFID tags cannot be turned off, meaning they’ll follow you wherever you go. So what does this technology mean for your privacy? Read ahead to see why this little tag has watchdog groups crying foul.

Walmart, Luxury Labels to Track Clothing With Electronic “Smart” Tags
by Jasmin Malik Chua, 07/26/10

Privacy advocates, prepare to have a field day. Walmart has just announced plans to embed individual garments with scannable electronic ID tags, the first step in a real-time tracking system for controlling inventory and preventing theft, according to the Wall Street Journal. Starting August 1, the big-box retailer will be placing removable radio-frequency ID (RFID) tags on its jeans and underwear, a move that will allow its employees to find out which sizes are missing from the shelves—and what additional items remain in the storeroom—with a wave of a handheld scanner.

YOU’RE BEING WATCHED

Retailers have long employed RFID tags, which act like long-range barcodes that can be scanned from a distance, to track pallets of merchandise moving through their supply chains. Walmart is the first to implement the tags in-store, rather than behind the scenes, but its broad adoption of the costly technology may result in enough of a price drop for other retailers to follow suit.

Although you can rip the radio tags off your new pair of 501s, you can’t turn them off.

Although you can rip the radio tags off your new pair of 501s, you can’t turn them off, a fact that has watchdog groups crying foul—or rather, “Big Brother.” Underhanded marketers or crooks driving by could scan your garbage to identify recent purchases, for one.

Another concern that has privacy experts ruffled up: Sneaky retailers could scan customers who carry RFID-enhanced ID cards (such as drivers’ licenses, which states like Washington and New York have begun issuing) as they browse the store’s wares. Combined with their credit card information, the data could allow retailers to put a number to person and identify them the next time they step into their premises.

Thanks Glenn E. for the reference.

Meadowlily Woods

Stratford's victory against big sprawl is providing hope for many other communities struggling to maintain their individuality and character and the integrity of their neighborhoods. Best of luck to those fighting to protect Meadowlily Woods in London from big box asphalt, noise, traffic, cheap goods, and destruction of the community they know and love.

'Quote This' Beacon Herald Thursday June 24, 2010:
"I'm very aware that it's a wonderful precedent for a lot of communities trying to be more progressive and forward thinking in terms of their planning." Lesley Walker-Fitzpatrick

STRATFORD BLUE SKIES AND GULF OF MEXICO DISASTER BLUES

Living in this wonderful city with such richness of opportunities and high quality of life, it is almost possible to ignore the disaster unfolding - or rather overwhelming - the Gulf of Mexico.

The constant spewing of Earth's deep blood in this deep water gaping wound sits heavy in my heart and I can feel the terror of the birds and beasts trapped in the poisonous nightmare. How many thousands of deep well cuts are there? This constant blood letting can't be good for the health of the planet.

We had an earthquake yesterday - the epi-centre in Quebec radiating to Toronto and area. It has always been a concern of mine - and seems a logical fear - with all the drilling and mining, all the excavation of deep water, oil, gas and the many mines digging out countless tons of coal, shale, gold, minerals... when will the thin crust that we live on begin to become unstable?

But here in Stratford we have had a great victory in local planning rights. The time for Avonwood / Walmart to appeal has expired and so OPA 10 is now the law.

STOP SPRAWL AND SAVE THE OCEANS

With the horror unleashed in the Gulf of Mexico - we all need to envision a healthier sustainable future. Time is crucial. Sprawl in our cities is the result of an oil dependent addiction.

Startford inherited an intact downtown from visionaries of the past. It is our responsibility to hold on to this important asset and past it on to the future.

We need policies that:

* restrict the size of parking lots on the periphery of our city

*require parking lots to be located away from the street scape - possibly behind the box store

* require the store to plant trees and a green-scape in front of their store

*require Victorian style architecture to fit the character of our city

What other ideas do you have to prevent any more sprawl in Stratford? And Preserve Beauty....

Envisioning Stratford

From the online environmental magazine www.grist.org there is an article "10 ways to kick the offshore-oil habit".

Number 5 on the list addresses sprawl: 5. Smarter land use Congress could direct (and help fund) local government efforts to update zoning and land-use regulations in ways that encourage compact development compatible with transit service and friendly to walkers and bikers. (Obama's Partnership for Sustainable Communities is already taking steps in this direction.)Read about Smart Growth. The principles of Smart Growth were presented to the OMB chairman by citizen participant Sheila Clarke. Stop sprawl in Stratford and help the planet.

A Huge Thank You To Our Lawyers

Our team of lawyers did a wonderful job protecting Stratford's local democratic planning rights. Lawyers for the City of Stratford: J. Matera, E. Costello and T. Halinski were clear, precise and to the crucial point in their defense of Stratford and OPA 10. For the City Centre Committee: M. Bowman and S. Stein were very effective in defending the future health and well being of Stratford's downtown heart and core.

THANK YOU

View the entire OMB decision by Colin Hefferon on The City of Stratford website:

http://www.city.stratford.on.ca/documents/press_releases/PL071013-May-18-2010.pdf

Selections From OMB Decision: Page 36 and 37

A key element of the City-adopted version of OPA 10 is the concept of “healthy interaction and balance” between and among what Council envisions to be a three-node commercial structure. From east to west, then, the regional-serving commercial structure of Stratford is composed of the existing Ontario Street East Commercial Area, the Downtown Core itself and the West End Commercial Area. Mr. Goldberg and the other experts supporting the Avonwood proposal reject completely the concept of a balanced 3-node commercial structure along an east-west axis. As noted, Avonwood sees a 2-node commercial structure – one part is centered on the current Ontario Street East Commercial Area and the second on the Downtown Core. ...

Again, the evidence from the parties represents two diametrically opposed visions of appropriate land use planning policy. The Goldberg Version of OPA 10 reacts to what may be termed the imperative of the marketplace. Confirming the land use planning opinions of Messrs. Clarkson and Goldberg, Avonwood’s retail market expert witness, Mr. Parsons, told the Board that the Ontario Street East Commercial Area exists primarily because it’s where the market determined it should be. ...

The Board was told that the City-adopted OPA 10, on the other hand, takes a pro-active approach to development applications. It directs development (most especially commercial retail) to where Council has determined it will best serve the

public interest, which is consistent with the policy-led approach to land use planning advocated by the PPS (Part 1, Preamble). The City’s expert witnesses contend that the Ontario Street East Commercial Area has succeeded as a shopping area because shopping centres and large format stores were permitted to develop there during the

past few decades, which has been an era of unprecedented growth in disposable income and automobile ownership. ...

After consideration of all the evidence, I find that the City-adopted OPA 10 will protect the planned function of the Downtown Core by limiting the amount of lands designated to commercial retail development in the Ontario Street East Commercial Area to what currently exists. This has been Council’s policy for decades. The Board was told that the result of this policy direction has been the preservation of downtown Stratford, one of the few smaller city centres that have managed to survive the changes in contemporary shopping practices including the introduction in the past 10 years of “power centres” composed of multiple large format retail stores.

Colin Hefferon