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Published in The New Westminster Newsleader, June 17, 2009:

The Newsleader: Royal City Farmers Market opens June 25—with a bang

By Mike McQuillan

The Royal City Market is set to open June 25 with a bang.

The opening of the market will be marked in a ceremony involving Mayor Wayne Wright and the Seymour Artillery Association.

There will also be a “welcome to summer vacation” theme for the opening, appropriate because it’s the last day of school for most kids. To keep the newly out-for-summer kids entertained at the market, there are crafts and a learning booth organized by the Fraser River Discovery Centre, a wandering magician, face painter and violinist, New Westminster’s St. John Ambulance Brigade with free goodies and New Westminster Family Place will have toys and crafts for kids zero to six.

The Royal City Farmers Market runs Thursdays until Oct. 8 from 3 to 7 p.m. rain or shine, and is located in Tipperary Park, next to city hall.


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Many people are becoming more concerned about food quality, food security, and greenhouse gas emissions caused by the long-distance trucking of their food. The best thing you can do is to eat local, eat in season. And here in the GVRD, that is becoming easier all the time!

Did you know that…

· While there are many farmers in the Fraser Valley, most sell their produce to large distributors via advance contracts. It is hard for them to take time off from farming (what they do best) to travel around to sell at markets. This story in the Georgia Straight illustrates the complexity of what faces our local farmers.

· Growing vegetables in hothouses in BC causes fewer CO2 emissions than trucking them in from Mexico and California. Typically, you will save about 70% of the weight of the vegetable in greenhouse gas savings by buying local produce.

· If you have to make the choice between eating trucked-in organic produce or local conventionally-grown produce, it’s better for the environment to get the local stuff.

· The provincial government supports local products via its “buyBC” campaign. There are specific guidelines for terms such as: BCgrown, BCmade, and BCproduct; in general, these items have >50% local content.

· In BC, food security is closely tied to the province’s Agricultural Land Reserve or ALR. Without the ALR, the 100-mile diet will become impossible. With real estate prices sky-high, the ALR is under constant pressure. A recent report (PDF) by the David Suzuki Foundation gives some recommendations regarding the ALR.

· “Community Supported Agriculture” is another model of supporting local farmers.

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This is a guest post from Will Tomkinson from Tenth To The Fraser.

There was a hint of a congratulatory mood at tonight’s Annual General Meeting of the Royal City Farmer’ Market at the New Westminster Public Library.  The meeting was well attended and a number of people renewed their membership or became members with their $10 donation. Tenthtothefraser.ca also became a member in a way as both Briana and myself joined the society.

Andrew Murray, founder, past president and a major spokesperson for the RCFM, reported that over the 16 market days of the 2008 season, more than 11,000 persons attended the market and generated well over $220,000.00 in revenue for the vendors. By all accounts it was a successful season with happy vendors, lots of local buzz and acclaim and a RCFM Society on solid financial footing for this next year. Andrew spoke of the successes:

“It was awesome….vendors sold out early on the first day….they were shocked at the response, they were slack-jawed…we really differentiated ourselves from other markets by the high level of vendor care”.

There were challenges too. A major event to celebrate New Westminster’s 150th anniversary was dampened by rain for example. The society had to ensure that the Market was on solid footing even as it was placed on an aggressive slope on the 4th street parking lot next to Friendship Gardens and Tipperary Park. For all of this, though, the market leadership learned and adapted.

For the future, the market is keen to build on their 2008 success with a 10% growth goal in attendance and vendor revenue. One very interesting plan is to sign on with the BC Association of Farmers Markets (BCAFM)Farmers’ Market Nutrition and Coupon Project. This program offers a 15$ coupon each week to a selected number of low income families with kids. The coupon holders can use them on produce, eggs, mild and other unprocessed foods. Being a part of this program would help dozens of families get high quality nutrition and support a community building event. The program is funded by the BC Government and available in a growing number of health regions. Great Idea!

A full board of 7 members were elected for the year. This itself is high praise for a non-proft society, while so many other board seats go unfilled. Also telling was the fact that 9 people ran for a spot. Elected members will sort out positions amongst themselves in February.  Elected 2009 board members are Andrew Murray, Marj Staal, Matthew Laird (past candidatefor NW council, member of NWEP), Jane Wark, Sheila Roswell, Ilona Schachner (a market vendor) and John Ashdown. John owns the popularVillage Coffee Lounge on 12th street and as I understand it, he was one of the founding members of Voice New Westminster, a local municipal political slate (no, not a slate, well, yes really, a slate). John’s establishment features a selection of organic coffees, and the connection to the farmer’s market is a natural one. (pun intended).

I can not wait to get involved for 2009. Congratulations to Andrew Murray and all the team that made the 2008 season such a roaring success. Huzzah!

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Land Acknowledgement

Our market is grateful to operate on the unceded land of the Qayqayt, Kwikwetlem, and other Halkomelem speaking Peoples. We acknowledge that colonialism has made invisible their histories and connections to the land. We acknowledge the incredible gift this land is to our market and BC Agriculture. We commit to the ongoing work of decolonization and allyship.