Double standard decides money for local markets

City seems to fund all things ByWard, Chris Penton says.

The latest survey on the ByWard Market was announced Aug. 1. This one, run by the city’s planning, infrastructure and economic development department, seeks the greater public’s opinion on ByWard’s “public realm.” No, the city does not want your feedback on a Game of Thrones Day on George Street. The “public realm” refers to every inch you can touch without going into a private property: sidewalks, planters, roads, public washrooms.

There has been a double standard set by the city in funding all things ByWard (and Parkdale), while profiting off smaller markets. (To be clear, I am referring to the market operations of ByWard, not pubs, restaurants etc.)

Each Saturday, approximately 250 to 300 people visit the Beechwood Market. A percentage of them move on to other local businesses. They buy a coffee at Bridgehead, visit Ahmed at Art House Custom Framing, drop off their dry cleaning at Monson’s beforehand. The Beechwood Market is doing it’s part for Ottawa’s economic development. Yet rather than receive an influx of cash from the planning department for a study or improvements, we transfer over $5,000 each season to rent Optimiste Park from the parks and recreation department.

I swallowed the price-tag pill a while back, but this most recent injection of dough into ByWard has me regurgitating. Councillors and staff will tell you that all departments are managed separately and draw from their own budgets. But when I transfer that amount of cash to the city, then see yet another hefty study (there was one done in 2013 to the tune of $50,000) on improving a competing market, I can’t help but feel the burn. You don’t care that your parking ticket money is going to the bylaw department, you care that it is ... well, gone.

Of course, I understand the wild parallels I draw by yelling about this. Beechwood Village is not Ottawa’s second-most important tourist

When I transfer cash to the city, then see yet another hefty study on improving a competing market, I can’t help but feel the burn.

attraction. We do not have almost 200 years of history. And we do not have the backing of Ottawa Tourism, the Ottawa- Gatineau Hotel Association, thirsty developers, city council and city staff. I love ByWard’s history, familiarity and cultural relevance. I genuinely wish it to continue on as one of Ottawa’s beacons. However, the city has dropped the ByWard ball for years and now is scrambling to salvage some of its marketness.

Its most recent answer was to create the Ottawa Markets Corporation. Its mission: to improve the operations of the Parkdale and ByWard Markets. A board was assembled, an executive director hired and some startup funding secured. A plan was presented. It included things such as beautifying the area around the main building and making it more pedestrian-friendly. The Ottawa Markets’ selfsufficient budget was to come from revenue generated by outdoor vendor fees, the ByWard Building tenant rents, as well as the seven commercial tenancies in the multi-level parking garage. Why then is a city department paying for the survey of its public realm?

A few weeks ago, Ottawa Markets’ board chairman Peter Hume delivered a not-so-good report on the state of the ByWard union. One point he made was that competition is making it difficult for ByWard to attract Ottawa residents back downtown to shop for produce. He is not wrong. The irony is that much of the competition was created as an answer to the pitfalls of the ByWard Market. Strict parking rules, reselling vendors, crime, quality control, pedestrian unfriendliness, have all driven consumers to markets closer to home.

The Beechwood Market does not need city money for a study or improvements. We are doing fine in our little corner of the city, as are many of our fellow local markets. My request is that the playing field be equal. If the city charges a fee to markets for use of land that is genuinely developing the economy, it should certainly not use taxpayer money to prop up an effort that drains that very same economy.

Perhaps it is time for ByWard to set off on a new journey.