Farmers in Bradford are getting a little help from their neighbours.
Vendors at Bradford West Gwillimbury's farmers' market are reaching out for victims of flooding in Holland Marsh. Jobs and acres of vegetables were lost after a dike broke, flooding out a huge chunk of land.
This weekend is the first of four weekends that vendors will be collecting donations.
It’s been two weeks since a dike broke and flooded farmer Peter Marques’ field. Though some patchwork to the dike has been done, Marques hasn’t been able to pump the water out yet.
“The dike has been temporarily fixed, but not enough to the point of dropping the water because they fear it will blow out again,” Marques says.
At the farmers’ market, Pierrette Grondin says, “The main driver of this economy is agriculture. There’ve been over 35 jobs lost because of the flooding and that’s going to have a trickle-down effect.”
Acres of carrots and onions have been washed out twice in the last month after a dike breached on two separate occasions. For farmers, their season is over.
Now, the town is waiting for approval from the province for disaster relief money, and to go ahead with emergency repairs to rebuild the dikes immediately without any permits.
It’s a process that could normally take two years before the work is done. The money being raised at the market will go toward those projects once the province gives approval.
“Our understanding is the province contributes two dollars for every dollar raised,” says Gloria Reszler at the farmers’ market.
Marques welcomes the support from the community and is hoping that rebuild will start soon so farmers can start seeding for next year.
There’s no indication how soon the province will give approval for disaster relief and emergency repairs, however. The farmers' market is at the Library and Cultural Centre parking lot, 425 Holland St. West. It runs Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
