Peterborough Farmers’ Market – Key Timeline

Over its long history, the Peterborough Farmers’ Market has marked many milestones and faced several changes. In 1975, it would have quietly observed 150 years of continuous operation, and by the late 20th century it was recognized as one of Ontario’s oldest farmers’ markets. Meanwhile, new farmers’ markets emerged in the community. In 1996, a group of local farmers launched the Peterborough Downtown Farmers’ Market as a producer-only, mid-week market in the downtown core ptbocanada.com. This Wednesday market (still running today) was created to offer shoppers an alternative focused strictly on locally grown produce, and to give growers another outlet for sales. Its founding is an example of how the region’s agricultural entrepreneurs have continually sought to “build community and offer customers a mid-week downtown location for fresh seasonal produce”ptbocanada.com. While separate from the Saturday market, the downtown market’s success demonstrated the strong local demand for farm-fresh goods. It operated with far less controversy, which would become notable in contrast to the older Saturday market in later years kawarthablog.com.

By the 2010s, the venerable Saturday market at Morrow Park – run by the PDFMA – was at the center of some controversies and public scrutiny. A key issue that arose was the question of “resellers” versus “producers” at the market. In 2017, a CBC investigative report (on the program Marketplace) revealed that some vendors at the market were selling produce not grown by them, while implying it was local – a practice that upset many genuine local farmers ca.news.yahoo.com. A group of long-time vendors began pushing the PDFMA board to adopt stricter rules about vendor transparency and local content. Tensions grew between these outspoken members and the market’s leadership. According to local news, five to seven vendors who raised concerns about reselling were accused by the board of “detrimental behaviour” – including making “false and disparaging statements” about the market – and were threatened with eviction globalnews.ca. In early 2018, the PDFMA indeed terminated the memberships of several farmers (such as Erin and Sam McLean of McLean Berry Farm, and others), barring them from the Saturday market kawarthanow.com. This sparked public outcry and became front-page news in Peterborough. Many saw the expulsions as punitive, given that the farmers’ “disruptive” actions were essentially advocacy for authenticity in the market globalnews.ca. Several of the ousted vendors described themselves as “stunned” by the decision kawarthanow.com.

In response, those farmers and their allies formed a new not-for-profit group – the Peterborough Regional Farmers Network (PRFN) – in 2018. By June 2018, the PRFN launched a rival Saturday market in downtown Peterborough globalnews.ca. Their aim was to restore a “real local farmers’ market” experience, with a pledge that at least 51% of vendors would be verified local producers kawarthanow.comkawarthanow.com. The PRFN even developed “Verified Farmer” banner signage and a third-party verification program to assure customers of each vendor’s farm origin kawarthanow.comkawarthanow.com. This was effectively a rebranding of the market concept, emphasizing authenticity and transparency. The emergence of this rival market – initially held at a downtown courtyard and later at a public square – drew significant community support, as many customers followed the ousted farmers kawarthanow.comkawarthanow.com.

Meanwhile, the longstanding PDFMA market at Morrow Park struggled with its image. City council became involved in late 2017 and 2018, urging the PDFMA to resolve internal issues and improve transparency globalnews.ca. Councilor Keith Riel publicly chastised the infighting and warned that the city, as landlord, might intervene to ensure a harassment-free environment globalnews.caglobalnews.ca. Another councilor (Diane Therrien) even moved a motion to consider putting the market’s management up for a third-party bid globalnews.caglobalnews.ca. Although that motion was not passed in 2018, it sent a clear signal that the status quo was in question. The PDFMA undertook some reforms and rebranding efforts in an attempt to mend fences. The board updated its by-laws and website, and introduced a new signage program to label produce with its farm of origin globalnews.ca. By early 2019, the association was also marketing itself as “The Original Peterborough Farmers’ Market – Est. 1825” farmersmarketpeterborough.com, proudly highlighting its 200-year heritage to distinguish it from the new market. These efforts were meant to reassure the public that the historic market was renewing its commitment to local farmers and quality.