A group is working to ensure a farmers’ market returns to the Mountjoy arena this year and into the future.
While council supports a market, the item sparked a lengthy debate between Mayor Steve Black and Coun. Rick Dubeau, who is unhappy with how a similar request for a farmers’ market was added to the agenda at a meeting earlier this month.
In May, the Mountjoy Independent Farmers’ Market announced it is not returning for another season.
Tuesday, council heard from Rock Whissel, the president of the Porcupine District Agricultural Society, who said he was approached by Dubeau and Alex Szczebonski, who is running for one of the Ward 5 seats in the upcoming municipal election, about bringing back a market. Whissel has also filed nomination papers to run in Ward 1.
Whissel said Dubeau and Szczebonski have met with Antoine Vezina at the Timmins Economic Development Corporation.
“He’s recommended that the Porcupine Agricultural Society would be the canopy to cover the farmers’ market,” Whissel explained, adding it would be a one-summer commitment.
For this summer, he asked council for access to the Mountjoy on Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to noon.
The resolution supported by council is for the market to run at the Mountjoy arena from the second weekend in July to mid-September then move to the curling club until the ice is put in. The rental fees being waived are $3,883 and will be covered by the city’s grants to organizations fund.
Dubeau added that he expects the group will be self-sufficient by next year.
“In talking to the vendors, they’re very excited about the prospect going forward, about having a permanent home. They generally have between seven and 13 vendors every weekend,” he said.
Before council could approve the resolution for the farmers’ market, Dubeau wanted to voice his concerns on a request brought forth at the last council meeting. When he suggested Black step down from the chair, the mayor had no issues and Coun. Mike Doody took the reins of the meeting.
After the news broke that the market had closed, the organizers of the Mill Market in Iroquois Falls approached Black about potentially running a weekly market at the McIntyre Curling Club.
Because they intended to start running it June 23, Black got the required council approval to add their request for using the space at a discounted rate on the June 5 agenda. The council meeting was the same night as the opening gala of the Canadian Mining Expo, which included representatives from Noront, and Black left the meeting before the resolution was read later on.
The item ended up being deferred, and since then Black said the proponent has backed out.
Dubeau is unhappy that the mayor didn’t say the Mill Market is a for-profit company and didn’t say when the item was added to the agenda that the request was for the balance of the rent to come from the grants and volunteer organizations fund. He also questions why the mayor ‘negotiated’ a deal instead of staff.
“In my opinion, Mayor Black you did not adhere to city policies. I just wanted to put that in the public record, because I think council deserves all the information. And there was no reason to bring that forward that night because there’s no reason to pass it so quickly, they stated they wanted to get it started by June 23. Well, in talking with the farmers’ market and the chair, there’s no reason to have a farmers’ market start before the second week of July because there are no vegetables available,” said Dubeau.
During the exchange, Dubeau read out parts of the grants and organization bylaws. Black noted there is also a rental bylaw.
“And if someone does not meet those requirements and still wants to request an approval for a discount they need to come to council because council is the only body that can give that authorization to this group,” said Black.
Black also sought clarification from Dubeau on his role with the new committee, noting he has an “issue with a councillor making a request for a community committee that he sits on.”
“I do want to be on record as making the point that I find it extremely hypocritical to just be lectured on not going through staff and having staff bring a detailed report on the item, to have the exact same scenario where a councillor went out and approached an organization and negotiated a request to waive the grants to organizations,” Black said.
Dubeau said, however, that he didn’t try to negotiate a deal, but did talk to everybody and anybody “to try to find some way to make the farmers’ market work.”
Because he is going to sit on the committee as a volunteer, Dubeau declared a conflict of interest for the vote on the resolution.
Coun. Pat Bamford, who is open to both market ideas, took issue with the debate while it was ongoing.
Later on, he said council has to stop the bad feeling around the table.
“What I’m annoyed at is the accusation that somehow there is a procedural problem here,” he said. “I don’t see anything dishonest what happened. The mayor is the leader of this council, he’s a leader in the municipality, check the bylaws, and when people come to the community and have an idea come forward it would be wrong of the mayor not to bring it forth to council.”
