Sunday summer market creates opportunities for farmers while strengthening Parksville’s local food system
Parksville, B.C. – A new Sunday farmers market is bringing fresh, locally produced food to downtown Parksville while creating new economic opportunities for farmers, food producers, and small-scale growers across the Oceanside region.
The Parksville Downtown Farmers Market, operated by the PQB Fruit Tree Foundation, runs Sundays from May through October at the McMillan Arts Centre and MAC Community Garden. The food-focused market features fresh produce, baked goods, prepared foods, plants, flowers, eggs, meat, preserves, and other locally produced food.
“This market is about creating a stronger local food system and making it easier for people to connect with the people who grow and produce their food,” said Dan LaRocque, Executive Director of the PQB Fruit Tree Foundation. “It also creates an opportunity for smaller growers to participate and find a market for what they produce.”
The Foundation is developing a consignment model that will allow small-scale and backyard growers to sell their produce through the market without operating their own vendor stall. This approach is intended to lower barriers to participation, create additional revenue opportunities for growers, and encourage more people to produce food for their community.
Located at 133 McMillan Street, the market is within a two-kilometre radius of approximately 10,000 Parksville residents, making it accessible by foot for a significant portion of the community. Current vendors include farms and food producers from Parksville, Nanoose Bay, Coombs, Dashwood, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, and Sooke.
The market builds on the Foundation’s work at the MAC Community Garden, a public community space focused on growing food, gardening education, and community connection. The project will bring additional activity to the garden through market days, workshops, events, and opportunities for people of different generations to share food-growing knowledge and skills.
“The Parksville Downtown Farmers Market is a wonderful addition to our community and a great opportunity to support local farmers, growers, food producers, and small businesses,” said Stephanie Higginson, MLA for Ladysmith – Oceanside. “At a time when it is more important than ever to shop Canadian and BuyBC, choosing to shop locally keeps dollars close to home, strengthens our economy, and helps create a vibrant and resilient community. I hope the market continues to flourish for years to come and becomes a Sunday staple in Parksville.”
The project is creating opportunities beyond the weekly market itself. A food service cart will operate as a social enterprise on market days and be used for food-service outreach to vulnerable community members. The Foundation is also working with local organizations to improve access to healthy food, including Oceanside Community Church, which has created Good Food Market Bucks to help community members purchase produce at the market.
“The Parksville Downtown Farmers Market is a great example of how investing in community spaces and local initiatives can strengthen an economy from the ground up,” said Brodie Guy, CEO of Island Coastal Economic Trust. “It creates new opportunities for local entrepreneurs and farmers while bringing people together around food, gardening, and community. Just as importantly, it is making an existing space more active and accessible and helping build connections that strengthen the local food system.”
Island Coastal Economic Trust is investing $19,500 in the project through its Community Placemaking Program, under the Food Security and Agrifood priority area. The project is generating a total of over $42,000 in new investment in the region.
The market is ultimately expected to create one full-time and four part-time jobs, six volunteer opportunities, and support the creation of five new local businesses and two new social enterprises. It is also building partnerships among food producers, community organizations, businesses, and other local groups.
Project improvements include market equipment, accessibility upgrades to the community garden, a permanent pergola and outdoor kitchen, wayfinding and educational signage, and a new website. The project is supported by partnerships including the Mid-Island Master Gardeners, Oceanside Community Church, the Bradley Centre, Oceanside Outreach Society, and the McMillan Arts Centre.
The market continues for 2026 each Sunday until October 25.
For more information, visit: https://islandcoastaltrust.ca/project/community-placemaking/launch-of-parksville-sunday-farmers-market/
– 30 –
About Island Coastal Economic Trust
Island Coastal Economic Trust is the regional development organization founded by the Province of British Columbia under the North Island-Coast Development Initiative Trust Act to serve Vancouver Island and the surrounding coast. We partner with First Nations, local governments, businesses, and non-profits to drive prosperity and diversify the coastal economy through strategic economic investments. Over $406.5 million in direct new investment has been attracted to coastal B.C. through our partnerships since 2006. We believe that meaningful and lasting change is best achieved through strong, collaborative partnerships that unite people, communities, sectors, and resources. As we work toward inclusive and resilient economic futures, we do so with a deep appreciation for the histories, contributions, and rights of the Kwak̓wala/Bakwam’kala, Nuučaa̓nuɫ, Éy7á7juuthem, Ligwilda’xw, Pəntl’áč, She shashishalhem, Hul’q’umi’num’, diitiidʔaatx̣, SENĆOŦEN, Skwxwú7mesh, Lekwungen, and T’Sou-ke speaking peoples.
The Trust’s mandate has been to support economic diversification and growth across Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast, and islands and inlets from the Salish Sea to Cape Caution (see Our Region). Serving more than half a million residents, the Trust partners with communities in the development and financing of their economic infrastructure and diversification efforts through a unique structure that is led by and accountable to communities.
Media Contacts:
Kyle Wells
Manager, Communications and Impact
Island Coastal Economic Trust
kyle@islandcoastaltrust.ca
250-871-7797
Dan LaRocque
Executive Director
PQB Fruit Tree Foundation
pqbfruit@gmail.com
250-240-3564