Following months of community debate and vendor frustration, Nelson’s Wednesday farmers market will return to it’s longtime home on Baker Street next week, July 16.
Council voted narrowly in favour of the move 5-2 on July 8 following a discussion on the markets long-term future.
While the motion passed, Councillor Jesse Woodward and Mayor Janice Morrison were not in favour of the markets return to the downtown core.
The Wednesday market has operated on Baker Street since 2011, but this year, downtown construction, public safety concerns, and other factors prompted the City to relocate it to Cottonwood Falls Park.
The relocation was intended as a trial, with City staff evaluating its impact at the end of the market season.
The completion of the Victoria Street Transit Exchange was a major factor in the City’s decision to move the market back.
Councillor Keith Page said the City owes it to vendors to return the market to Baker Street now that the construction work is largely complete.
“I think we owe it to our vendors to return it there now that the transit exchange has reached most of its completion. This is, to me, an olive branch, saying [to vendors], ‘Now that we’re completed with a transit exchange, we’re taking you back to the 600 block,’ and then I’d like to see some recommendations brought back to us later so we have a sense of where 2026 is going.”
However, Councillor Jesse Woodward prefers the market remain where it is.
Woodward noted the City spent 15 years revitalizing Cottonwood Falls Park specifically for market purposes, saying the site checks every box for an ideal market location.
“It’s an absolutely beautiful location. So for me, I would like to see us continue to have it in that space, but add an addition to transit to get people down there in an efficient manner. I feel like that actually is way more efficient and beneficial to the whole community.”
Woodward, who previously served as the City’s market coordinator, emphasized the challenges the Baker Street location presents.
“Sticking the market on Baker Street is like putting a plug in the middle of the city, and the town just keeps getting bigger and busier. At the end of the day, you want a market that doesn’t impact everyone else.”
“I struggled with putting the market downtown every year [as market coordinator], because there were many people who didn’t want it there. It really does bunch everything up in a very concrete way.”
But Councillor Jesse Pineiro, who also owns a business on Baker Street, emphasized how critical the market is to the downtown community.
“I think it’s a much greater part of our community than you might realise, and there are a lot of people that this is really affecting badly. I appreciate that Cottonwood clearly is a superior place – theoretically – for a market. It does have everything you need for a market, except there’s nobody there. And for the vendors, I think that’s what really matters.”
The City provided under a week’s notice of the relocation, which prompted significant backlash from vendors and the public.
The Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce told Vista Radio in a previous interview that vendors have reported an average 63 per cent drop in sales due to the move, compared to last year.
That said, Mayor Janice Morrison doesn’t believe it was fair for vendors to expect the City to take sole responsibility for advertising the relocation. She expressed disappointment that several vendors failed to communicate the move to their customers.
“I’ve noticed that there are vendors who don’t mention anywhere on their social media feeds or websites that they even attend markets. I don’t think it’s entirely the City’s responsibility to be doing all of the advertising for the vendors who participate.”
“Getting used to a new spot takes some time, but I don’t see this market being able to remain in the 600 block of Baker Street in 2026. So I think it’s worth the energy and effort to try to continue using Cottonwood Falls Park for the market this season.”
City staff will continue efforts to promote and enhance the 2025 market season.
An evaluation of the relocation’s effectiveness will be conducted throughout the summer, along with an assessment of alternative mid-week market options.
City staff will return to council in the fall with evaluation results and recommendations for the future.
The full evaluation at the end of the 2025 market season will include:
- The number of participating vendors
- A survey of participating and waitlisted vendors
- A survey of downtown businesses
- A survey of community members
- A survey of market patrons that mirrors questions and data-collection techniques from the Kootenay Rockies & Columbia Basin 2023 BC Farmers’ Market Economic Impact Study Regional Report
- An assessment of alternative market locations, including upcoming construction work
- An assessment of the number of patrons who frequented the Wednesday market at Cottonwood Falls Park in 2025
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