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The Regional District of Nanaimo board received a report on the economic impact of farmers’ markets at a meeting last week. (News Bulletin file photo)

Farmers’ markets in Nanaimo region a boon to the economy, report finds

Farmers’ markets within the Regional District of Nanaimo are a boon to local economies, according to analysis from the B.C. Association of Farmers’ Markets.

Kate Poirier, Cedar Farmers Market executive director, served as project coordinator for the 2023 B.C. Farmers’ Market economic impact study and presented findings at an RDN board meeting Tuesday, April 23, stating that markets provide financial lifeblood.

“We saw really strong numbers,” said Poirier. “The study’s happened before and the numbers are up across the board, but the Island specifically was far above average in almost every single metric. The vital goal, the support for markets here, is really over the top.”

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Cedar Farmers Market Unveils Business Incubator Program “Hatch + Hype”​

Cedar Farmers Market Unveils Business Incubator Program “Hatch + Hype” Embracing Innovation: Cedar Farmers Market Partners with BC Association of Farmers’ Markets and Island Savings Credit Union **MEDIA RELEASE**  *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* Nanaimo, BC – (July 27, 2023) – The Cedar Farmers Market, a non-profit agricultural society serving our community since 1996, is thrilled to

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Cedar Farmers Market Boosts Local Economy by $3.7 Million Annually, Study Finds ​

July 20, 2023 Cedar Farmers Market Boosts Local Economy by $3.7 Million Annually, Study Finds – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Nanaimo, BC – (July 19, 2023) – Cedar Farmers Market is a significant economic player in the Nanaimo Regional District, injecting nearly $3.7 million annually into the local economy, according to preliminary results from a recent

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‘It’s a very positive energy:’ Cedar Farmers Market opens for 2023 summer season​

‘It’s a very positive energy:’ Cedar Farmers Market opens for 2023 summer season Thousands flock to the Cedar Farmers Market every Sunday between mid-May and late-October for a weekly dose of local products and vendors. NANAIMONEWSNOW – May 14, 2023 | 5:53 AM NANAIMO — Many locals will agree, it’s not the summer months on

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True Story

As far as introductions go, this one was memorable for me. Meeting the ex-wife of your new boyfriend, with whom you are now co-parenting kids, is a little bit nerve-racking, to say the least.
Was I nervous? Hell, yeah. I wanted her to think I was capable of helping to raise her kids. That I was reliable, responsible, punctual, and well-mannered. I felt like I was going to be interviewed for a very important job as a nanny. Little did I know I would be tied to this woman with this memory for the rest of my adult life.
We were different in every way. I drink coffee, she drinks tea; I enjoy sugar, she likes agave; I like a neighbourhood, she lives off-grid.

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Building a Sense of Place

Our earliest memories are often a jumble of feelings and senses, nothing quite as organized and concrete as those of adulthood. These snippets of memory often arise unbiddenly; a scent on the breeze can carry us back to childhood with an experience so vivid, so real, that we can be rooted, transfixed in a time decades ago and half a world away.

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Confessions of a City Farmer

Like many people, my husband and I had a dream of owning a beautiful property with many trees and pastures for miles. We had visions of laying on a hammock and basking in the sun and enjoying many lazy, relaxing days.

In 2017, we were able to make that dream come true. We bought a 15-acre property in Yellow Point that was in total disrepair. 

We thought, “Great, the property is fenced and cross fenced. It will keep everything in!” 

Wrong.

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Beauty’s Story

A few years ago we moved to a little heritage farm and orchard in Cedar, which is now my home. We have many animals like pot belly pigs, sheep, geese, goats, and over 80 pet chickens of all different breeds and personalities! So I’m sort of like a chicken expert.

Our Easter Egger hen, named Coconut, disappeared for a few weeks and then we found Coconut and her nest with five baby chicks! They weren’t all genetically Coconut’s -other hens must have helped her by laying eggs in her nest, but she hatched and raised them.

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Memory and Growth

Somehow being outside, having the wind toss you around up in a tree that you climbed as high as you could, or as high as you dared, was the most humbling and exhilarating experience. It’s an experience that you thrust yourself into, unknowing whether you will be safe. Trusting your body in its abilities and having faith.

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