It’s almost time for the Sackville Farmers Market to move out of Bill Johnstone Park and on to its winter location. But this year the move is slightly delayed as the market board considers two potential locations: the Sackville Commons on Lorne Street where the market has spent winters since 2021, and the Sackville Visitor Information Centre on Mallard Drive, outside of the market’s usual downtown territory.
“Every year we have to move from our summer home,” says Anthony Maddalena, owner of Bagtown Brewing and chair of the board with the Sackville Farmers Market. “This year we’re just exploring if there’s any other options… We’re getting information from both the Commons and the town and looking those two different sets of information.”
Maddalena says the market board will also consider feedback gathered in vendor and customer surveys distributed at the market on October 19. “Everyone’s got some varying opinions and different perspectives,” says Maddalena. “Some vendors look to draw in a completely different type of clientele than some other vendors, right? Whether it’s students or folks who are just visiting Sackville or the local community that’s here year round.”
“We’re always trying to take into consideration what’s the best move for our vendors, and then, obviously, for the community that we serve,” says Maddalena.
A location committee with the market board of directors has been working for years exploring options for both a permanent market location and seasonal winter locations. “There’s not a whole lot of options in town,” says Maddalena. “The committee has explored everything from the train station, to going back to places where we used to be, like behind the Painted Pony, things like that.”
Maddalena says as part of the ongoing relationship with the town, the Visitor Information Centre was suggested as a potential winter location. But “we’re still considering staying at the Commons because, you know, we’ve been there for the last few years, and, we sort of know how things work there,” says Maddalena.
The possible location in the Visitor Information Centre would be a departure for the market, which has lobbied for many years for a permanent location in Sackville’s downtown area. Former market chair Kent Coates told Tantramar council in February 2023 that a downtown location was an important criteria for the board though he also said the market could “make most things work.”
Maddalena says the board is working on processing all the information they’ve gathered and having “constructive conversations around where we want to go.”
The Sackville Visitor Information Centre is already home to one market vendor. Cafe Tintamarre rents space in the building from May to December, and also runs a coffee truck that is a regular fixture at the market. Co-owner Peter Stephenson sits on the market’s board of directors, but has recused himself from the location decision. Maddalena says it’s a possible conflict of interest that was handled immediately when Stephenson stepped back from the decision.
Tantramar CAO Jennifer Borne says the Visitor Information Centre is available for rent just like other town properties. According to its facilities rental fee schedule, the town charges community groups or not-for-profits a private rental fee of $80 per half day for each facility. The Sackville Commons also charges a rental fee, though the amount is unknown.
While the market would normally be leaving Bill Johnstone Park by the end of October, the board has secured a two-week extension, meaning the last market of the year outside at Bill Johnstone will be held on November 9.
Future permanent location still up in the air
Even after a decision is made on this year’s winter location, the market board still has the question of a permanent location to deal with.
In December last year, Tantramar councillor Josh Goguen responded to a plea from the Farmers Market board for town involvement in the location solution, and council approved a motion to “form a committee with local groups and municipal staff on a permanent multi-use facility for the purpose of housing multiple activities and community groups, including a permanent full time location for the Sackville Farmers Market.”
In May, Active Living Director Matt Pryde reported to council that his department continued “discussions with the Sackville Farmer’s Market concerning a new multi-use building.”
But CAO Jennifer Borne says by email that a new buildings is, “not a fiscal reality of the municipality at present.” Borne points out that council has agreed “to proceed with the development of a new Dorchester Fire Hall” which she says will be the municipality’s “major building capital investment for the next few years.”
Maddelena and the market board, on the other hand, still seem to think it will be up to the municipality to take the lead on a new building.
“At the end of the day, you know, the Farmers Market isn’t going to just go and build a multi-million dollar building all on our own,” says Maddalena. “It’s going to take, you know, community collaboration, and that’s going to be spearheaded by the town.”
Maddalena says the group is “fine tuning what the process will be to to actually achieve having a permanent location in town… So we look forward to refocusing on that once we get ourselves settled into a winter location.”
