tank: reimagined saskatoon farmers' market site a big risk that failed
3 minute read
the former saskatoon farmer's market building in the riversdale neighbourhood is seen in june of 2022.
michelle berg
/
saskatoon starphoenix
the big vision for the former saskatoon farmers’ market building in saskatoon’s riversdale neighbourhood remains a distant mirage.
seven years ago, saskatoon city council decided to tamper with what few disputed was one of the city’s most beloved gems, the market run since 2007 by a farmers co-operative in a city-owned former garage.
but, to the surprise and outright bafflement of many, council opted to seek a new tenant for the building that could provide “animation” six days a week. the co-operative was surprised when a request for proposals was issued for the city building before council had debated the matter.
near the end of an acrimonious meeting that lasted 16 hours over two days in september of 2018, a depleted council voted 6-1 to seek other options for the site. the farmers co-op maintained it could only operate three days a week since members also needed to manage their farms.
former mayor charlie clark defended the move, saying the city is obligated to make the most out of subsidized public spaces. but most of those who voted in favour of the decision remain on council, including mayor cynthia block and veteran councillors zach jeffries, randy donauer and bev dubois.
coun. troy davies, absent from the council vote in 2018, voted in favour of seeking proposals at the committee level.
yet the ultimate reason for the decision and why council started a feud that made little sense seems likely to stay behind closed doors at city hall. clark had long advocated for a public gathering place like the forks in winnipeg or granville island in vancouver.
that represents a worthy goal, but few outside city hall thought pursuing it was worth killing the gem of a centrally located, high-profile farmers’ market with a riverside location.
instead of getting the forks, saskatoon got forked.
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plus the process was marked with questionable developments, like the city’s claim that “several parties” had expressed an interest in the site. then, after the lease with the farmers co-operative expired in 2019, the city announced the building was closing for an undetermined amount of time for repairs.
the saskatoon farmers’ market co-operative had submitted a bid to continue operating at the riversdale site, but then relocated to a remote spot near the airport, where it still operates.
as for the big dreams for the building where the farmers’ market once operated, gather local market opened a year ago. clark appeared in a promotional video prior to the launch, wearing a hard hat while he toured the facility during renovations.
“this could truly be a place to bring the community to life,” clark said in the video.
however, late last month, gather announced it was transferring operation of the site to city hall on an interim basis. ironically, that announcement was made a couple of days before the building hosted hundreds of liberal supporters for a late campaign rally by prime minister mark carney.
but the market failed to attract enough people regularly to become viable, although i can heartily endorse the jamaican patties sold there. six days of animation remains a pipe dream.
the city’s director of planning and development, lesley anderson, said in an emailed statement the city is “disheartened at this turn of events,” noting the “years of planning and renovation” and “the substantial investments in the building’s infrastructure and facilities to support the startup.”
anderson added gather, which was run by ideas inc., failed to “fulfill its negotiated lease agreement terms and financial obligations.” those lease terms included a nominal $10-a-year cost for five years and deferral of about $50,000 a year in property taxes in exchange for assuming the cost of maintenance.
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city hall plans to look for a new operator in the fall.
depesh parmar, executive director of ideas, told city politicians in 2022 he wanted to create “saskatoon’s next masterpiece.”
instead, this frustrating journey has been exacerbated by delays, due to the extent of renovations and the uncertainty created by the covid-19 pandemic.
ironically, now seems like a great time for a local market amid all the trade turmoil and buy canadian sentiment.
a vibrant, centrally located farmers’ market would be terrific now, too, even for just three days a week.
phil tank is the digital opinion editor at the saskatoon starphoenix.
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