The City of Ottawa is hoping to revamp the vendor stalls in the ByWard Market with the aim of making it more local.
A new bylaw going to the community and protective services committee in November would enable the city to reorganize the market and dictate what is to be sold, by whom, and provide incentives to local producers by offering lower rent or certain locations.
It’s time to refresh the local tradition, said Rideau-Vanier Councillor Georges Bedard at yesterday’s launch of Tastes of ByWard.
The community is demanding a bigger presence from local farmers and artisans in the market.
“We don’t want the ByWard Market to become a flea market,” said Bedard. “This is not what we are looking for. What we want is for the market to be more oriented to local products.”
Bedard said one of the biggest changes will be to reorganize the stalls so food is in one area, crafts in another, and flowers somewhere else.
“We’re concentrating on the real local farmers and artisans on ByWard Street and Williams Street and the other ones will be found in the periphery,” Bedard said.
