The Port Moody Farmers' Market Needs a New Home — And Council Is Deciding This Tuesday
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Council needs to hear that this matters to you. There are two ways to show your support:
Send a letter to Council. Email your letter to both council@portmoody.ca and clerks@portmoody.ca before Tuesday's meeting to ensure it's entered into the public record. It doesn't need to be long — a few sentences about what the market means to you and your support for the Old Fire Hall recommendation is enough.
Speak at public input. Attend the Strategic Priorities Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 31 online and speak during the public input period. Even a brief, personal statement makes a difference.
You can register to speak by clicking here.
The Port Moody Farmers' Market has been a cornerstone of community life for 18 years. What started as a small biweekly gathering in the Recreation Centre lobby has grown into a year-round institution — drawing up to 2,000 residents on winter Sundays and supporting as many as 70 local vendors selling BC produce, artisan crafts, baked goods, and more.
Now, the market's future is in Council's hands.
What's Happening
The City has told the Farmers' Market it needs to vacate its current location in the Civic Complex parking lot. The space is under increasing pressure from the Recreation Centre, City Hall, the library, and the Inlet Theatre, and the market can no longer coexist there without conflict.
City staff have spent months evaluating alternatives — schools, plazas, fields, roads, even a TransLink parking lot — and have landed on a recommendation: prepare the Old Fire Hall site as the market's new home.
The proposal goes to the Strategic Priorities Committee on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
You can read the report here (starts on page 57).
What We'd Be Losing Without a Solution
The Farmers' Market isn't just a nice weekend outing. It's a significant economic and social engine for Port Moody.
According to a study conducted with the BC Association of Farmers' Markets, the summer market alone contributes an estimated $2.5 million annually to the local economy. The winter market, which is roughly twice the size, is estimated at approximately $5 million per year. Across both seasons, the market directly supports more than 150 local farmers, producers, and small businesses — many of them sole proprietors and family operations who rely on the market as a primary sales channel.
Beyond economics, the market is a hub for food education and community building. The Power of Produce (POP) Club — a free program for kids ages 5 to 12 — teaches children about fruits and vegetables, local food systems, and agriculture through hands-on activities at the market every week. Kids who participate receive a $3 token to spend on fresh produce from market vendors, giving them a direct connection to where their food comes from and the farmers who grow it. It's exactly the kind of programming that builds healthy habits and community pride from a young age.
The Grow Local Society also operates four community gardens with 125 plots — and demand is so high that the waitlist has grown to 120 people with wait times of up to four years. This is an organization that is deeply embedded in Port Moody's food security and community development infrastructure.
All of this is connected to the market having a stable, viable home. Without one, the ripple effects extend far beyond Sunday mornings.
Why the Old Fire Hall Site Makes Sense
This recommendation isn't just a solution for the market. It's an opportunity to activate a civic asset that has been sitting underutilized for years — and to buy Council the time it needs to find a permanent home for the market in future developments.
The Old Fire Hall site is a medium-term bridge, not a forever solution. The site itself will eventually be developed — hopefully into a new library for Port Moody. But until that happens, this is a chance to put the space to work rather than let it sit empty. And in the meantime, it gives Council the runway to ensure a permanent market location is incorporated into new developments as they come forward.
For $90,000 from the New Initiatives Reserve Fund, the City would lay gravel and install traffic safety barriers to make the site functional. That investment creates a flexible community space that can serve multiple purposes in the interim: a home for the market, support for the proposed temporary basketball court, overflow parking for the Civic Complex, and potential future revenue through pay parking.
The site stays within the Civic Complex — close to transit, close to parking, close to washrooms, and close to the customer base that has made this market what it is. The Grow Local Society, which has operated the market since 2008, has endorsed the plan.
Staff also evaluated two road closure options on Knowle Street, but both raised significant concerns. One wasn't endorsed by the Fire Department due to emergency access issues, and both would require ongoing costs for traffic management, towing, and signage — plus potential revenue losses from cancelled theatre bookings. The Old Fire Hall site avoids all of these challenges.
Why It Matters
The Farmers' Market is where neighbours run into each other. Where kids learn that food comes from farms, not just grocery stores. Where small producers and artisans find their community. Where $7.5 million a year circulates back into the local economy instead of going to a chain grocery store. It's one of the things that makes Port Moody feel like Port Moody.
But none of that continues without a stable location. If Council doesn't endorse this recommendation, the market is left without a clear path forward — and a community institution that took 18 years to build could be at risk. The Old Fire Hall site gives the market the stability it needs right now, and gives Council the breathing room to plan for a permanent home in future developments.
What You Can Do
Council needs to hear that this matters to you. There are two ways to show your support:
Send a letter to Council. Email your letter to both council@portmoody.ca and clerks@portmoody.ca before Tuesday's meeting to ensure it's entered into the public record. It doesn't need to be long — a few sentences about what the market means to you and your support for the Old Fire Hall recommendation is enough.
Speak at public input. Attend the Strategic Priorities Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 31 on the online webinar and speak during the public input period. Even a brief, personal statement makes a difference.
A Personal Note
John Horgan and I exploring the Farmers’ Market
I served as Chair of the Grow Local Society from 2014 to 2021. During those years, we launched the Summer Market and the POP Program, and I watched this market become one of Port Moody's most cherished gathering spaces. I've seen what it takes to build something like this — and I know how quickly it can be lost without the right support at the right moment.
This is that moment. The staff recommendation is sound, the investment is modest, and the upside — for the market, for the Old Fire Hall site, and for our community — is significant. It secures the market's near-term future while giving Council the time to plan for a permanent one.
I hope you'll add your voice.