New downtown market to operate at Square

Market moving from Citi Centre courtyard after end of October

The new downtown farmers’ market will move into the lower level of Peterborough Square for the winter, in the location that served temporarily as the public library.

The Peterborough Regional Farmers Market – which features locally produced food — opened in June in the courtyard at the Citi Centre apartments at the corner of Charlotte and Aylmer streets.

It will remain there on Saturday mornings until the end of October, according to a press release.

But from November until April, it will move to Peterborough Square.

It’s going into the lower-level location where the Peterborough Public Library was housed for more than 18 months during a major renovation of the main branch on Aylmer St.

The temporary location of the library closed in Peterborough Square just before the library reopened on Aylmer St. in late January.

“The location is perfect for a market,” states Julie Fleming of Circle Organic Community Farm in a press release.

She points out the location is accessible, for instance – there are elevators – and there’s free underground parking on weekends in the mall.

The market also unveiled a new logo on Tuesday — featuring a beet — designed by local studio Hatch Creative. The market also has a new tag line: “Taste the region in every season”.

The Peterborough Regional Farmers Market was launched after five vendors – all local farmers and artisans – were evicted from the Saturday farmers’ market at Morrow Park.

The evicted vendors started the market in co-operation with the Peterborough Regional Farmers Network, a group of farmers and their supporters.

The evictions from the Morrow Park market took place May 1, following allegations of harassment and bullying.

The allegations came following long-simmering tensions between local farmers and resellers at the Morrow Park market (sellers who buy produce from sources such as the Ontario Food Terminal in Toronto without necessarily telling the customer).

At the new market, farmers

make up at least 60 per cent of the vendors at the new market — and they are required to hold thirdparty verification that they grow or produce what they sell (MyPick certification, for example).

They now have more than 50 vendors (including some that have come from the Morrow Park market).

The location is perfect for a market.

JULIE FLEMING

CIRCLE ORGANIC COMMUNITY FARM