Daniel Boyko

Outside of Canada's three largest cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver researchers have found that food deserts are prevalent in many Canadian communities. Typically, food desert researchers have focused on national and regional grocery store chains and examined how their spatial distribution impacts accessibility. Using the City of Toronto as a case study this research examines if local grocery stores in addition to national and regional chains deter the establishment of food deserts. The findings of this study have indicated that when local grocery stores are not included in a food desert analysis many potential food deserts exist. This suggests that in the City of Toronto local grocery stores may be influencial in mitigating the establishment of food deserts.