Reno squeezes some vendors out of Hamilton Farmers’ Market

Two dozen longtime stallholders are losing their spots at the newly renovated Hamilton Farmers’ Market.

The vendors say they’re outraged that people who have been doing business at the market for years — sometimes decades — have been given two months’ notice that they will no longer have a place to sell their products when vendors return to the space at York and MacNab streets, near the library, in January.

“The way they’re doing things is deplorable,” said Gord Williams, a farmer and vendor. “You don’t just throw people out on the street after 50, 60 years. This is how they build the downtown core? Throw people out on the street?”

But the city says building code requirements mean there are fewer stalls available and a new vision for the market means diversifying the products and emphasizing local food. It also says seniority doesn’t mean a vendor is selling high-quality goods.

The goal is to get back to not having a significant number of people selling the exact same thing, said Anna Bradford, the city’s director of culture

“It’s not just about bringing everybody back — it’s about changing the dynamic,” Bradford said. “Seniority does not equate to quality.”

Before the renovations, the city’s market held 172 stalls. However, during the renovations the city added more washrooms — a building code requirement — and a community kitchen for classes and workshops. Now, there’s only space for 146 stalls.

To determine who would make the cut, the city asked all current vendors to fill out an application and invited applications from the community. Forty-eight vendors were selected: nine new vendors and 39 current stallholders. Twenty-three current stallholders were not selected to return. Letters were sent out on Friday alerting vendors of the city’s decision, and most stallholders received their letters on Monday.

The selection process was made through a points system, Bradford said. Representatives from several agencies, including the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Farmers’ Markets Ontario and local food organizations were asked to rate the applications based on several categories. Among the categories were local farming, worth 30 points; previous market experience, worth 5 points; and a completed application, worth 25 points.

The process has drawn ire from vendors such as Charlie Chiarelli, whose family has been running a market stand for 45 years. He buys produce from the Ontario Food Terminal for his stand and was not accepted ace. He says he’s planning to appeal the city’s decision.

“I’m going to fight right to the end,” he said.