Sunday Morning at the Farmers Market
Kyle and I at a Farmers Market (2019)
There's a version of Sunday morning that goes like this: wake up, wander down to the farmers market, grab a coffee, fill a bag with whatever looks good, and walk home.
That's it. No errand list, no grocery store fluorescent lights, no self-checkout machine telling you to place your item in the bagging area. Just a table, a person who grew the thing, and a conversation about how to cook it.
I am so grateful that Port Moody Council voted in favour of saving the Port Moody Farmers Market and investing in a new community space where we can keep
I grew up going to the Farmers’ Market on Sundays, and it's one of those routines that I'd genuinely miss if it disappeared. Not because the produce is so much better (and often less expensive!) than what's at the grocery store — although, honestly, it often is — but because of what happens around the produce.
Karen from Kics Lemonade and I
You run into your neighbours. You try something you wouldn't have picked up in a store. A vendor tells you about their farm, or how this particular variety of apple ended up in BC. Last time I picked up some pickled carrots from Mandair Farms and ended up in a twenty-minute conversation about cooking Indian dishes with local food. Solo sat at our feet and received an unreasonable number of pets from strangers.
That's the thing about a farmers market: it's not really about groceries. It's about people and connection.
Urban planners call these kinds of places "third places" — spaces that aren't home and aren't work, where people gather informally and build the kind of low-stakes social connections that hold a community together. Coffee shops, parks, libraries, and farmers markets are all third places. They're where you become a regular. Where you start recognizing faces. Where a neighbourhood becomes a community instead of just a collection of houses.
Port Moody is good at this. Between Rocky Point, Brewers Row, Suterbrook or Newport, and places like Caffe Divano and the market, there's a real fabric of public life here that a lot of cities would envy. It didn't happen by accident — it's the product of geography, local business owners who care, and residents who show up.
But it's also not guaranteed. Third places are fragile. They depend on affordable commercial rents, public space that's well-maintained and welcoming, and a critical mass of people who choose to walk instead of drive. When any of those things erode, the fabric frays.
The farmers market is a perfect example of how a small investment in public space — a park, a few permits, some vendor coordination — can create something that's worth far more than the cost. It brings people together. It supports local producers and small food businesses. It gives the neighbourhood a heartbeat on a Sunday morning.
I think about this when I think about what Port Moody should prioritize as the city grows. Not just housing units and traffic management, but the places in between — the spaces where people actually live their lives, where they bump into each other, where a city becomes a community.
So if you haven't been to the farmers market yet this season, go (this weekend is last one before it moves to Wednesday evenings!). Bring a reusable bag. Talk to a vendor. Stay a while.
I'll probably be the one with the Sheepadoodle and too many tomatoes.
On April 26 and May 2, 2026, the City of Port Moody is giving away ready-to-plant trees through our Plant a Tree program. Do you have space on your property for a new tree? Planting trees on private land is an important action that helps to improve Port Moody’s urban tree canopy.
If you are a Port Moody resident, you can sign up for one free tree per household at one of the following community events:
Date: Sunday, April 26, 2026 from 10am to 2pm
Location: Port Moody Recreation Complex parking lot (300 Ioco Road)
(After signing up, you will need to pick up your tree by 3:15pm on the same day at the Public Works Yard, 3250 Murray Street)Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026 from 11am to 3pm
Location: Port Moody Recreation Complex arena (300 Ioco Road)
(After signing up, you will need to pick up your tree by 3:15pm on the same day at the Public Works Yard, 3250 Murray Street)Eligibility and considerations
The tree giveaway is open to Port Moody residents only. Identification with proof of residency such as a driver’s license or recent utility bill will be required.
There is a limit of one tree per household. Trees are available while supplies last.
If applicable, please check with the owner of the property where you reside or your strata to determine if tree planting is permitted.
Trees from this program cannot be used to satisfy the replacement tree requirements for a tree removal permit.
Consider how much time and physical capacity you have to look after a tree. Trees need to be pruned, mulched, and cleared of leaves periodically.