Business Regulations in Toronto

I believe one of the biggest problems with the city of Toronto is the business regulations, or lack thereof. One of the most prominent traits of Toronto is it's strong cultural niches, such as the Annex, Little Italy, The Fashion District, The Gay Village, Yonge St Tourist district, etc. Each of these niches has their own codes and conventions in terms of the business regulations. The problem with this is that there is very little government control over what businesses go where. This becomes an even larger problem when the 'Big Box' stores come into the picture, and place their shops in the center of these beautifully cultured areas.
I work at a local, independently owned shop in the middle of the tourist driven fashion district on Queen St. West. While the shop I work at has been located in the same building for almost 20 years, the vast majority of other shops in the area have come and in some cases, quickly gone. I spoke to my boss about the business regulations that she follows, and what verbal agreements she has made with distribution companies in terms of which shops in the same vicinity are allowed to carry the same brands that you would find in her shop. Being the owner of an independently owned company proves to bring some serious challenges to her in terms of regulating brand distribution. Over the years she has taken on brands, and now carries over 100. She has agreements with most of the companies that she is the only shop in a particular section of Queen Street that is allowed to carry certain brands. The long and short of it, it is in no way affiliated with government and on the other hand, is a monopoly brought on by her fervor.
This situation of her owning brand rights over other smaller shops, can be compared, on a far larger scale, to big box stores coming and placing themselves in a district of independent companies, essentially driving them away. Since I have been talking about a section of Queen street between University and Spadina, I will continue to give examples relating to that area: There are many locally owned convenient stores (such as Gardenview, St. Patricks, etc) that survive because of the tourist industry. They provide things for people who are traveling through the area to shop, such as water and snacks, yet they also provide a basic grocery store for people who live close by. Living in the area as I do, I do find myself often going to these stores for things that I need to survive. These small companies, who often jack up their prices because of their locations, survive on the fact that it is a good distance to walk elsewhere to stores such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Wal-Mart or Loblaws, and the convenience of their locations forces people to shop there. The large Urban Planet found in between John and Beverly on Queen West is closing due to a lease end, and there is talk of the very large, two story space being rented to Shoppers Drug Mart. Envision a Toronto with stronger business regulations: Perhaps something like putting in a huge Shoppers drug mart in this area would not be allowed to happen. I worry for the owners of these local stores, who will undoubtedly suffer as a consequence of the arrival of this Big Box corporation.
Another example, even more painstaking, would be the proposal to put a starbucks in the center of Kensington Market. While this proposal has caused an uproar with local residents, there is little stopping starbucks from opening a location in the area. Simply put: There needs to be at least the most basic of moral codes and conventions put into place to assist in the placement of corporate stores that will prevent them from taking over the world, or simply just continuing to take over our streets.