Weston Farmers’ Market

The latest take on the Weston Hub

The Farmers Market with lots of room on its old site back in July 2004. (File).

Churchill once said that, “History is written by the victors”. An article in UrbanToronto.ca, (basically a public relations organ for the local real estate and development industries) tells a sanitized version of the background story of the soon to be opened Weston Hub.

The article’s author, Dean Macaskill, has been involved in Toronto real estate since 1980 and was with the company given the GO Station parking lot listing back in 2012. The land was put on the market by the Toronto Parking Authority and according to Macaskill, the 5 offers received on the 1.42 acre site were, ‘at rather depressed pricing levels’.

What’s not mentioned in the article are thoughts at the time that the land belonged to the old town of Weston and that it should not be sold. Also, unlike the wealthy Wychwood Barns neighbourhood which received close to $20 million from the City for their Artscape project, poor old Weston received essentially nothing.

The message seems to be that no one wanted to invest in Weston until this development came along and since that time, developers have been falling all over themselves to buy into our community. He neglects to mention that his listing stated, “Area Is Undergoing Significant Change With Other High Rise Condominiums Planned In The Immediate Area.” Also missing in action is any mention of the 370 rental apartments and 40,000 square feet of storage units that came as part of the deal. The 8000 square foot space devoted to the cultural hub seems rather ungenerous by comparison. Another unmentioned issue of contention is the tight space given to the Farmers Market .

Now that the Hub is nearing completion, we’ll all have to make the best of it and hope it’s a success – but it could have been so much better no matter what shine is put on it.

Just to cheer you up, here’s a Metro Morning interview with Artscape’s Tim Jones talking to CBC’s Matt Galloway recently on the same topic.

Job posting: herding cats at Weston Farmers Market.

A cat at a farmers market reclining in a basket of catnip. — From i.pinimg.com.

Weston’s BIA has a couple of jobs advertised on its site and one is that of Manager of the Farmers Market. Keeping the lid on this (quite rightly) feisty and vocal group of traders will be a tough one so the successful applicant had better start training asap. Here’s the job posting:

Submission Deadline: Friday, Feb 23, 2018

Start Date: Mon, April 30, 2018

Job Type: Contract

Compensation: Commensurate with Experience

Job Description:

The Market Manager is responsible for the coordination of the weekly, Saturday morning, market as well as the day to day operations throughout the week. The Market Manager works closely with the Board of Directors of the Weston BIA (the owners of the market) to carry out their responsibilities and is provided support by them as needed. The market is held outdoors and operates from the second Saturday in May to the last Saturday in October from 7.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. and the position is renegotiated at that time.

Responsibilities:

Coordinate the weekly Market on Saturdays, including set-up and take down, vendor placement and stall fee collections.

Manage vendors, including recruitment and retention, mail out of vendor contracts; resolve any disputes or concerns among vendors and/or customers, and ensuring vendor compliance to Market Rules and Regulations and health regulations.

Attend bi-monthly board meetings to provide market updates and act as the liaison between vendors and the board (presenting written comments and/or complaints to be addressed).

Manage Market communications, including responding to market inquiries (e.g. e-mail and phone calls) and media requests in a timely manner.

Market Promotion including signeage, posters, advertisements in the local newspaper and social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).Events

Coordinate special events, activities and/or programs at the market (e.g. official opening day celebrations, Corn Roast, Harvest/Halloween, kid’s activities, music and other entertainment.

Skills and Qualifications Required:

Strong leadership, and interpersonal skills and the ability to work with multiple stakeholders in a professional manner.

Excellent time management and organizational skills.

Experience and knowledge in food service management, food safety and regulatory requirements for food sales at Temporary Food Markets is an asset.

Experience working with a volunteer board.

Previous Farmers’ Market Management experience, although not a pre-requisite, would be considered an asset.

Knowledge of the Weston community and key stakeholders preferred.

Good working knowledge of social media advertising, flyer and content for advertisements in newspapers and other.

Submit your Application and Cover letter to the Board of Management of the Weston BIA at: admin@westonvillagebia.com or mail to: 4 John Street Unit 3, Toronto, Ontario, M9N 1J3 by Friday, Feb 23^rd at 5.00 p.m.

Only candidates chosen for an interview will be contacted.

Farmers Market Harvest Celebration

This Saturday, September 30 the Weston Farmers Market will be holding a Harvest Celebration between 9:00 and 12 noon in the UP Express / GO Train parking lot. Planned events include:

Cupcake and pumpkin decorating
Balloon artistry
Old Fashioned Halloween games
Prizes and loot bags
An old-time fiddler

Saturday promises to be sunny and 16° which will be perfect to get everyone in the mood for Fall after this stretch of hot weather.

Are you artistic? The Farmers Market is looking for volunteers, to decorate pumpkins and other items for this coming Saturday, Sept 30th from 9.00 a.m. to 12 noon to help. We also need some help on Friday afternoon, Sept 29th to decorate some larger pumpkins. Students will receive community hours for helping out.

For more information, call Marion at 241-249-0691.

Artscape publishes Q&As

The Weston Hub / Common in a 2015 artist concept.

Artscape is a non-profit arm of the development industry that works with planners and developers to incorporate affordable artistic spaces into building projects. One project now under construction is in Weston and it will be known as Weston Common. Read more on this project here, here and here. A quick search through our archives will pull up more articles.

Recently, Artscape asked for questions about the new Hub and five of them have been answered already. Here they are:

Q: How high will the ceilings be in the Hub’s studio spaces?

A: The approximate ceiling height from the top of the finished floor in the studio spaces is 4.75m (15 feet and 7 inches). Because the ceilings in the studio spaces are open, this estimated height does not take into account any servicing (ducts, lighting, etc.), so practical height will be somewhat lower.

Q: Is there additional storage available for occupants of the studios?

A: To ensure flexibility of use, storage has not been built into the studio spaces, and the studios do not include dedicated storage space elsewhere in the Hub. When thinking about the area of the studio spaces, also consider how to accommodate storage needs within that area.

Weston Web Comment: There will be 3,897 m² (40,000 square feet) of storage space next door available for a fee. Perhaps some sort of discount could be negotiated for artists in residence.

Q: Does the Hub have parking?

A: While the Hub does not have its own dedicated parking, there will be ample parking available with easy access to the facility. The Hub is located immediately beneath the parking decks of a large parking garage at 33 King Street, and those parking levels will be directly connected by an elevator that will exit on to the outdoor public space next to the Hub’s entrance. There will also be a new 70-space TPA lot built next to the project site. Finally, the Hub itself will have a loading entrance, accessible from the driveway between the Hub and the railway corridor.

Q: When might the studio spaces be delivered for fit-out?

A: Construction is proceeding on schedule, and spaces may be available for delivery to occupants as early as July 2018, but an exact date cannot yet be provided. The studio spaces will be delivered as open, flexible spaces, in a state that is suitable for occupation (flooring, lights, sprinklers, ductwork installed). If the occupant wishes to further sub-divide or fit-out the space, it will be at their own cost. Depending on timing, additional fit-out may be undertaken under Artscape’s building permit, or following completed of work on the Hub, under a new permit obtained by the occupant.

Q: Will the Artscape Hub be accessible?

A: Yes, the Artscape Hub at Weston Common will be fully accessible by Ontario standards.

Farmers Market Official Opening

Today, the Weston Farmers Market officially began its 39th year and a trio of local politicians was there to celebrate. Local folklore as recorded by Councillor Nunziata claims that there’s never rain on opening day and this year was no exception. The Market is in its second of three years at the UP Express parking lot.

L to R: York South-Weston MPP Laura Albanese, York South-Weston Councillor Frances Nunziata, BIA Chair Massum Hossein and York South-Weston MP Ahmed Hussen declare the 2017 Market officially open.

Long time market trader Grampa Ken checks on a couple of customers.

Acoustic pop cover band The Turnups play for visitors.

Sunshine Natural Beauty products on display.

Lots of bedding and container plants to choose from.

Local bakers, World of Cake serve coffee and delicious baked goods.

Market stalwart, Joe Gaeta stands beside his favourite bougainvillea.

Cheri Hurst of Weston’s Historical Society (far left) hard sells membership benefits to a potential new member.

The Egg Man has returned for another season.

Home made jams and juices from the Niagara Region.

Sunshine Natural Beauty has a selection of their products on display.

Road and sewer construction set for Weston Road in late summer.

The affected area along Weston Road. From City of Toronto website.

Tentatively planned for August and September (approximately), Weston Road between Jane and Lawrence will be repaved. In addition, before the paving is completed, storm sewers and city-owned portions of lead water-supply pipes will be replaced. City Engineer Mehrshad Rahimi says that once contracts have been awarded for the work, the dates will be firmed up, possibly in early July.

Homeowners along Weston (in the marked areas on the map) are encouraged to check if their water supply is carried into the home through lead piping (common in homes constructed before the mid-1950s). Lead in drinking water is definitely to be avoided as there are no safe levels of lead in drinking water.

The city will not pay for the homeowners’ stretch of the water supply upgrade but will pay for the piping connection up to the property line and will provide a competitive bid on the rest of the work for a fair comparison to private companies. More info on lead piping here.

Similar work has been under way on William and will re-commence May 26 with an anticipated completion date of June 7.

To order a lead testing kit, call 311. They must be picked up from one of the locations listed here.

Today in Weston May 13, 2017

Today was a busy one in Weston. The Weston Farmers Market was open with a few stalls. Next week will be bigger and better. According to vendors, business was brisk. Everyone I spoke to was pleased with their sales.