DAN CEARNS The Standard
SCUGOG: The Port Perry Lakefront Farmer’s Market (PPFM), for the 2020 season, will once again operate close to the Old Mill and Latcham Centre. Scugog has only renewed the location for a one year term. The reason to not yet make a location permanent for the local market is the ongoing Scugog Waterfront plan process. “The PPFM has requested that the location become permanent rather than a pilot as of 2020. However, staff recommend that the location remains as a pilot until such time as the Waterfront Action Plan has been completed and a permanent location can be identified,” read a report from Community Services Associate Maegan Michel. In 2019, the market moved from the Palmer Park parking lot, to the north end of the park. At a meeting on Monday, March 2nd, farmer’s market representatives Jack Doak and Elizabeth Werner made a presentation to council. “We would like to stay in the general area, just reconfigure a little bit closer to the intersection of Queen and Water [streets],” Ms. Werner said. When asked by Mayor Bobbie Drew if they agree with township staff for the location to remain a pilot project for 2020, Ms. Werner said: “that’s fine.” The success of the new location encouraged the farmers market representatives to want to remain there. “We would like to thank everybody for participating in our pilot. It went very well,” Mr. Doak said. “The feedback was nothing but positive all summer long.” The farmers market has a new goal for 2020. “Uxbridge just won Farmer’s Market of the Year, so we have to step it up a little,” Mr. Doak said. Ward 4 Councillor Deborah Kiezebrink asked what the Farmer’s Market would like to see long term. “I think the farmer’s market and the vendors and members are very flexible to work with the town. They just want to be close to the water, and close to Queen Street,” Mr. Doak responded. Councillor Kiezebrink questioned what the ideal number of vendors is. “I think growing the number of vendors will certainly get to the point where you can’t have, like, 80 vendors. But I think when you have a really good farmer’s market, you’re turning people away, and you’re keeping your really good ones,” Mr. Doak said. “You don’t need 60 or 80 vendors, you need 45 really good ones.” Council later voted to approve the one year land use agreement for the farmer’s market.