Rival farmers markets finalists for Morrow Park deal

City to choose between the current operator and offshoot Saturday group

It appears the city will have a choice between two prospective operators for the farmers market at municipally-owned Morrow Park: those who currently operate the market and those who were evicted from the market in 2018 and started their own.

The city is seeking an operator for the market for three years starting in May 2020, with an option to renew the agreement for a further three years, for a total of six years.

The deadline for prospective operators to bid on the job was Wednesday at noon and two rival organizations applied.

The Peterborough and District Farmers Market Association (PDFMA), which is the current operator at Morrow Park, is up against the Peterborough Regional Farmers Market, which operates downtown on Saturdays.

The city, which owns the land and rents it to the market operator on Saturday mornings, will make a decision by Dec. 4.

The PDFMA has run the market since 1984, and has defined “local” as “Ontario-grown.” In recent years there’s been tension there between resellers and local farmers. Some resellers buy produce from the Ontario Food Terminal in Toronto and sell at farmers markets without necessarily telling the customer they didn’t grow the food themselves.

Seven local farmers were evicted from the Morrow Park market in 2018. The PDFMA

said it was over harassment complaints.

The ousted farmers then started the Peterborough Regional Farmers Market at the courtyard of Citi Centre, which sells nothing but locally grown or produced items.

In the winter, that market moves indoors to the lower level of Peterborough Square.

The two bidders were posted on the city’s website after the Wednesday deadline passed.

The city is looking for a farmers market operator who will offer a wide variety of goods made or grown in Peterborough

and area, states the bid documents.

They also want an operator with “rules in place and some restrictions surrounding vendors reselling products,” states the bid documents, and signs that identify where goods are grown or produced.

The city’s chosen operator will also be required to produce annual audited financial statements.

The city surveyed farmers market shoppers this summer and 61 per cent of respondents said farmers markets should sell only goods grown or produced within 100 kilometres of the city.