Moffat family, Red Deer Curling Centre and community react to farmers’ market relocation

The public market has been at its current location since 1996 with a three-year move to the Memorial Centre in 2016 due to construction of the Servus Arena.

“I’m feeling very bad for my father,” said Patrick. “I can’t even imagine how the 89-year-old is feeling right now.”

Patrick said his father brought the idea for the market from a vacation in Ontario in the 1970s. While the first Red Deer market in 1906 did not survive, Dennis pitched the idea again to the mayor at the time who voiced support and skepticism. Even with various moves, the market proved successful over the years through continuous growth.

“We’ve taken the legacy of a man whose put a lot of heart and soul into this city, 27 years on council within the City of Red Deer, done amazing things for this community and this is the thanks he gets,” he said.

The Red Deer Curling Centre (RDCC), located in the Pidherney Centre, did not support the market’s location as they have plans to utilize the facility to host larger weekend events.

“The RDCC is a not-for-profit that has been around for over 125 years and has operated in downtown Red Deer for the past 69 years. Like many not-for-profits, the RDCC depends heavily on volunteers and depends on revenue generated by the rental of our facility to remain sustainable,” said the RDCC Board of Directors in a release.

“The RDCC has worked with City administration and the private owner of the Red Deer Public Market for several years to try to rectify RDCC’s inability to attract long-term and short-term summer rentals of the facility due to the loss of access and parking for clientele due to the market.”

The City did not renew the lease of the market’s location in 2020, therefore expiring in 2021. While Patrick says the City provided various options for where the market could relocate, he says he voiced that the locations would not work unless multiple changes were made.

The City says they provided the maps of alternate downtown sites to the Market at Red Deer business owner. (Appendix C – Red Deer city council meeting agenda February 21 p. 115-117)

He claims some locations were too spread out, others too small, and some with limited bathrooms and parking which would have impacted nearby businesses and residences.

Mayor Ken Johnston said during council that meetings were conducted with each party separately, but attempts to bring all three together did not work time-wise.

Comments by the public on social media show mixed opinions with some against the decision while others believe the change will be positive for the market, claiming it has outgrown its current space. Others have provided suggestions such as the Parkland Mall parking lot, which frequently hosts car shows. The Downtown Business Association has also offered their help.

Patrick claims the move will increase the costs of the market. Some examples could include advertising, potential rent and other expenses.

“At this market, we brought in millions of dollars economically and all they [the City] can think about is ‘how much opportunity am I missing at the curling club’,” said Patrick.

The RDCC Board of Directors said their facility can address the current shortage of mid-sized event spaces in the city following the closures of the Black Knight Inn, the Cambridge Hotel’s special events centre and more, with their show space of 27,000 sq. ft. and the capacity to host events up to 1,400 people.

“With the city council’s decision, RDCC will be able to build a business plan, improve services and provide more employment. We will be able to work with the City of Red Deer to help mobilize the newly adopted Major Tourism and Event Plan for Red Deer, which will create a number of economic benefits for our community. Over the years, our volunteers have been the catalyst to bring several major and hundreds of minor tournaments, bonspiels and hosting opportunities to the City of Red Deer, and we look forward to continuing this work.

Trade shows, weddings, sport tournaments, art shows, music performances, beer gardens, private events all can now be hosted at RDCC in the summer months.

We also look forward to working with Servus Arena, Red Deer Tennis Club and other neighbours to host small and large events, which will drive economic spending in our downtown and community, while also providing support to not-for-profits in our community.”

“We wish the owners of Red Deer Public Market success in securing a new location.”

Patrick says he has a few locations in mind and hopes to be able to update vendors in the upcoming days.

“We want to try to accommodate the best we can. The people that are affected by all this, the seniors, the disabled, the people that can’t move around by vehicle so well, we want to look at those things carefully but that might not be in our favour. We might have to make a decision and lose out on some of that,” he said.

Council also approved on Tuesday for administration to provide them with model options for a year-round market. Patrick voiced concern over who would run the market, which the City said is undetermined, and that there is already an indoor permanent market in Gasoline Alley.

“It’s the feeling and it’s the idea; the intrinsic that makes a market,” said Patrick. “The spirit of the Red Deer market is always high and is always commented on by any other market goer or any other person involved in a market.”

“They always comment on how nice this market has been and, quite honestly, it’s the original market in western Canada.”

by Alessia Proietti

Moffat family, Red Deer Curling Centre and community react to farmers’ market relocation

What's Trending