The head of the Antigonish Farmers’ Market Association says federal funding for a new facility is great news.
Sean Fraser, the MP for Central Nova, announced $700,000 toward a new market on the exhibition grounds on James St. on behalf of officials with the federal government Saturday morning.
Casey van de Sande, the president of the market association, tells The Hawk the funding is huge for them.
“It makes us be able to go to the next step, which is the actual construction of the building,” he says. “It’s wonderful- it’s just great to see them come forward and help us out.”
Antigonish Co. officials and reps with a local insurance company are each providing $200,000 toward the roughly $2.1 million project, town officials are providing $150,000, and market association members have raised another $102,000.
Van de Sande says the new 11,000 square foot facility will allow them to expand.
“It’s going to be a year-round market for the vendors,” he says. “It’s going to be an increase of vendors as well, room for them, because the (current) one is just used to capacity, and a lot of times we have to put people outside.”
van de Sande says they’ll also be able to open more than their current one-day-a-week, and they’re considering an online market.
He says the goal is to start construction in early September, following the Eastern Nova Scotia Exhibition, and finish early in 2020, which would allow them to open a winter market.
