'We are being evicted': Saskatoon Farmers' Market in talks to move to suburb

The group behind the Saskatoon Farmers' Market is in negotiations for a new space that would move the popular weekend destination out to a city suburb. 

Meanwhile, the market is already planning its last day at its current downtown location in the River Landing building: Dec. 22.

"It's not something that we wanted," Adithya Ramachandran, the president and board chair for the Saskatoon Farmers' Market Cooperative, told CBC News on Thursday. 

The co-op's negotiations for a new site — coming after the co-op scouted 10 locations all over town — is the latest sign of a growing impasse between the co-op and the city, which owns the 19th Street location that the market has leased for the last 12 years. 

"[The city] makes it sound like we're leaving voluntarily," Ramachandran said. "That is absolutely not the case. We are being evicted." 

• Saskatoon Farmers' Market scouting 'all across' town for new home as impasse with city continues
• City putting pressure on farmers' market to stay open 6 days a week, co-op says

The city wants the building populated by more than just a farmers market during six days of the week. The market currently only operates on weekends and Wednesday.

The co-op has said an expanded market schedule is unrealistic for its growers and merchants. 

A move with risks

Ramachandran declined to cite the specific location or even the suburb the co-op may move to, but said such a relocation would not come without risks, such as losing pedestrian traffic. 

"We are hoping to run shuttles or run satellite markets and find other creative solutions to satisfy those customers," he said. 

Ramachandran said the co-op has submitted two proposals for remaining in the current market building but that those proposals did not satisfy the city.

"We were told verbally that none of the ideas would be a fit for the space if we submitted another proposal exactly like it," he said. "So the writing was on the wall."

Ramachandran said the city has effectively stopped communicating with the co-op.

"That is false," said Lesley Anderson, Saskatoon's director of planning and development. 

"We have had ongoing, extensive communications with that group for quite some time, including working with them through 2018 to find a way for them to actually meet the terms of the agreement that they had signed on to."

Anderson said the city has been approached by other vendors interested in the River Landing building.

City disputes co-op's claims about roof

The city invited proposals for the building's next lease in 2018, but the RFP was ultimately cancelled last February because of roof repairs needed at the building.

Ramachandran said the co-op told the city years ago the roof was leaky.

"No action was taken on the roof," he said.

"The city [issued] the [request for proposals] anyway. We once again asked them what they were planning to do with the roof. We did not receive a concrete response and then abruptly the RFP was cancelled and the excuse given was, 'Oh, we just discovered the roof needed repairs.' That's very disingenuous."

Anderson said the city dealt with past roof issues when notified by the co-op.

"The building has two roofs. Condensation builds up between the two and thus had caused sporadic leaks," she said. 

"As we were doing more investigations as part of the RFP process, it was discovered that it was a bigger issue than initially thought. All applicants on the RFP process were notified that the current leaks were dealt with and further work would be required on the roof. Upon continued investigation, we had to decide to cancel the RFP."

Market building to close in early 2020

The repairs are planned for early 2020 and require closing the building. There is no timeline on project completion because plans for the roof repair are not finished.

A potential outdoor farmers' market could still operating outside in the adjacent Market Square.

The roof design may include skylights and changes to the interior lighting, according to a new city report. 

The co-op leases the River Landing building from the city for $10 a year but pays about $100,000 a year in property taxes and other costs, according to Ramachandran.

Anderson said the $10-a-year lease will remain the case for any new operator. They would also have to pay for insurance, utilities and leasehold repairs, as the co-op has had to do. 

Ramachandran said leasing a private space instead of one that is heavily subsidized by a city is another challenge that comes with a move. 

"[It] will obviously be a significant financial impact on the co-operative," he said. 

The co-op has also asked the city about financial support for a new site. 

"This is why I will ask the city for support: to salvage the situation and also help them save face, because the public will not accept the eviction of the [co-op] without redress."

Ramachandran said a downtown location is an alternative plan.