Two key agricultural vendors from the Haliburton farmers market say they’ll be “crushed” if the popular weekly event doesn’t return to Head Lake Park this season.
Marchand Lamarre has had his Garliccloves stall since 2020, while Heather Bramham’s Esson Creek Maple has been a staple since 2018. The pair spoke to The Highlander this week about concerns over the way the market situation has unfolded in recent months.
The event ran for 11 years at Head Lake Park before being relocated to nearby Rotary Beach Park ahead of the 2023 season. Officials from the Haliburton County Farmers Market Association (HCFMA) have spent months advocating for the markets’ return to the downtown park – something Lamarre and Bramham “wholeheartedly” support.
“The big reason we want to go back to Head Lake Park is for increased accessibility,” said Bramham, who has mobility issues. “People can walk around on the footpath, it would be closer to the downtown, it provides increased visibility for vendors, and brings people into town. It just makes the most sense for the entire community to have it there.
“There were lots of problems at Rotary Beach,” Bramham said, noting seniors and parents with strollers stopped attending due to a problematic layout, while there were numerous issues with people using the nearby basketball courts. “I lost count of the number of times I saw a ball fly into a stall or hit someone standing in line. It’s not the safest thing.”
Dysart council has given the green light for the market to return to Head Lake Park, providing HCFMA pays an additional $5 per vendor, per market day to the township. Based on the market having 40 vendors over a 21-week season, this amounts to approximately $4,200.
Bramham said while some members of council have described the fee as “not a big deal”, she says it is for smaller agricultural vendors struggling to turn a profit.
She said Esson Creek Maple is a part-time endeavour for her and her husband, who both have full-time jobs. It supplements their income and is a hobby they’re both passionate about. She indicated they would return at the increased rate but know others won’t. “That’s tough, because to be designated as a farmers market you need a certain number of local agricultural vendors… the Haliburton market is right on the line,” Bramham said.
Market officials previously told The Highlander if the Haliburton market lost two of those vendors it would lose its farmers market designation.
At a Feb. 27 meeting, Dysart council reaffirmed its decision to implement a fee with no conditions attached. This came after HCFMA submitted a letter suggesting three alternate resolutions ranging from the market going ahead with no increased cost and HCFMA agreeing to a $5 per vendor, per market day hike providing the township records all rehabilitative work at the park this summer.
HCFMA officials gathered for a board meeting March 4, which ended without consensus, according to Angel Taylor.
“The proposed $5 per vendor, per market day has not undergone the requisite public consultation process, is not published in Dysart’s fee schedule and we don’t know what the exact wording will be… it is not subject to the conditions surrounding the fee schedule, it is a loosely proposed fee with no contractual understanding regarding terms, limits, and rules. Until those matters are properly addressed, we cannot responsibly consent to this arrangement,” Taylor said in an emailed statement on behalf of the board.
Asked whether the board has committed to having a market in Haliburton this year, whether at Head Lake Park or at Rotary Beach, Taylor said, “if the information and evidence we acquire provide support that it is a prudent and responsible decision to be in Head Lake Park, we will work hard to implement that.”
She said there was no timeline for a decision.
Lamarre said the ongoing dispute has left many vendors in limbo.
“It’s too late now to apply to other markets. If this doesn’t go forward, I’m going to be left with a lot of leftover products. I just won’t have the opportunity to sell it,” he said.
While that would represent a significant financial loss, Lamarre said he’s more concerned with losing his connection to the community.
“There’s no other community group I’m involved with outside the market. I wouldn’t have any interaction with local residents,” he said. “I’ve gone through Dysart’s municipal plan, the Head Lake Park master plan, the five-year destination management plan – they all speak of the importance of a thriving farmers market… if an agreement isn’t reached, it would be a monumental loss to this community.”
Haliburton farmers market vendors Marchand Lamarre and Heather Bramham want to see the weekly event return to Head Lake Park
