Market on the move

A glimpse of the interior of the Seaport Farmer's Market, now under construction.

On a typical Saturday at the Halifax Farmers Market, calls of “excuse me” and “sorry” reverberate through the morning chatter as shoppers negotiate their way through the crowded Brewery Market.

Charming, claustrophic, filled to bursting, Canada's oldest farmer's market will move to a beautiful, light-filled space almost double in size by summer. The Seaport Farmers’ Market is now under construction at Pier 20 on the Halifax waterfront and is slated to open in June 2010.

“The new building is really important,” says Philip Girard, who makes a weekly trip to the market to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables. “I think the old has outlived its quaintness.”

The new building is being designed to meet LEED Gold standards. At 4,050 square metres, it will operate using 85 per cent less energy and 50 per cent water than a typical R-2000 building. Some of its cool green features include “solar lanterns” to bring in natural light and heat the building, nine wind turbines to generate electricity, a green roof to collect water and cool the building without air conditioning, and an observation deck with “onsite urban agriculture,” according to Keith Tufts, the project’s lead designer.

Helping to make it happen is the Farmers Market Investment Cooperative, which is offering shares to the public at $50 each. The goal is to raise $2.25 million, which will be used to pay the lease from the Halifax Port Authority. About half the money has already been raised among 430 investors.

A rendering of the exterior of Seaport Farmers' Market. Notice the glass atriums and wind turbines on the roof.

Dalhousie professors Girard and John Cameron are two of those investors and serve on the FMIC’s shareholder board. Dr. Cameron says the cooperative was created to give community members who believe in local food production a chance to support the new market. 

“I feel I need to walk the talk if I’m going to teach with any credibility,” says Dr. Cameron, professor of International Development Studies. “This is a way of following up on my teaching—by supporting local sustainable food production.”

An information session on FMIC and Seaport Farmers’ Market will be held on campus on Thursday, Dec. 10, 3 to 5 p.m. in Room 406 of the Weldon Law Building. Gordon Michael, executive director of the Farmers’ Market Investment Cooperative  Ltd., will outline plans and provide investment information.

“We’ve had a lot of questions about the cooperative,” says Dr. Cameron. “So this is a chance to share information with the Dalhousie community about the opportunities to invest and plans for the new market.”

“Plus,” adds Prof. Girard, with a smile, “savory local food snacks will be served.”

For more information, please e-mail john.cameron@dal.ca, philip.girard@dal.ca, or gmfmic@gmail.com.