Yellowknife Farmers Market president France Benoit informed council of the benefits of the market during the April 22 council meeting.
And she did it with aplomb.
“Seven slides. Let’s go,” she chuckled.
Benoit’s report on the farmers market’s 2023 season included completed surveys on the weekly summer event, conducted by Laurier University and the University of Waterloo. Benoit was able to say how wowed she was.
“People appreciate the market, they appreciate the fact that its outdoors,” she said. “We were told it gives a sense of life, it was a lifeline during Covid.”
What came as a surprise, she said, was how vulnerable populations feel safe coming to the market.
“That’s a huge thing,” she remarked.
Last year, the market had a total of 45 vendors, averaging 24 every week, with many of them being new, according to Benoit.
“Yellowknife is not out of people with new and fresh ideas,” she said.
The market received a total of $112,073 in grants in 2023 while attracting approximately 8,000 people last summer, according to its report. The attendance figure was calculated based on “point-in-time counts” at 5:30 p.m. on market nights.
No doubt, the market faced some challenges last season also, notably how the wildfire evacuation created a loss of revenues for many vendors, Benoit said.
She also mentioned that the farmers market gets funding from the Department of Health to give food vouchers to organizations supporting people at risk of food insecurity.
According to a 2021 food infrastructure report from city, in 2017-18, more than a fifth of NWT households were food insecure.
The organizations that Benoit referred to give their food vouchers to their clients so they can come to the market and eat like everybody else, she explained.
The non-profit farmers market has been operating for 12 years, from June to September.
And by the sounds of it, it will stay that way for years to come.
Wrapping up her presentation, Benoit gave thanks to city council for its financial support.
“We cannot stress enough the importance of multi-year funding, how it gives us breathing room and space.”
Benoit said the market is using the next couple of years to grow the next generation of volunteers and board members, as well look for a potential future vice-president and president.
“It’s a great opportunity and moral responsibility to pass on our knowledge on how to run a market,” she said.
“Some of us need to retire in the next two years, and instead of being saddened and scared by this prospect, we are emboldened.”
Benoit invited Mayor Rebecca Alty to ring the bell on the market’s opening day on June 4. Whether she does has yet to be confirmed.