The Osoyoos Farmers’ Market is hoping to secure funding to expand its offering as additional federal-provincial grants are available through the BC Farmers’ Market Expansion Program.
A total of $142,500 is being offered to eligible farmers’ markets that did not receive funding in the first round earlier this year. Each successful applicant can receive as much as $15,000.
President of the local market, formerly known as the Market on Main, Janis St Louis said she is in the process of preparing the application for this second round as delayed quotes hampered their bid during the first round.
She noted that the funding is available to farmers’ markets that belong to the BC Association of Farmers Markets as opposed to regular markets. “Everything that we have in our market is made, baked or grown by the people who are selling them.”
The Osoyoos market kicks off this Saturday (May 7) and operates 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. every Saturday rain or shine until the end of September. And, the market is also expanding to include a Tuesday evening 5-8 p.m. offering at Gyro Park through July and August.
St Louis says 35 vendors have been approved this year but not all attend every weekend. Again, the requirement is that all goods must be produced by the seller with a preference for local vendors.
She also noted that the indoor markets during the winter, which started at Sonora Centre before moving to the Legion, during COVID restrictions will likely continue as a regular feature going forward.
“We found that because we have a lot of ‘snowbirds’ here and lots of people want something to do in the winter, we’re going to do an indoor market probably every winter,” she said.
Interestingly, the market actually found a silver lining in the otherwise depressed COVID environment over the past two years with increased demand.
“The vendors had much better sales than in previous years and we also had more visitors from the coast coming to Osoyoos than before because they couldn’t travel elsewhere,” she added.
Included in the Osoyoos Farmers’ Market grant application is a proposal to acquire highway signage for the market, tents, tables, sandwich boards, vinyl signage and banners.
“In particular in Osoyoos we find that we’re always being asked for tourist information because the tourist centre isn’t right downtown. So every year I go and get a bunch of brochures and we have a table that we set out with all kinds of maps and things about wineries and so on. So I have applied for a display stand for all those things,” St Louis said.
“Each public market is a privileged meeting place between our agri-food producers and consumers where relationships of trust are built,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
She added that when supply chains come under pressure, using shorter supply chains is one way to promote food self-sufficiency.
“Farmers’ markets are the heart of our communities, and it’s extremely important they’re able to continue operating,” added Lana Popham, B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture and Food.
