The City of Toronto is collaborating with market managers and organizations and is committed to growing the sector through the creation of the Public Markets Action Plan, a collaborative strategy to improve the establishment, delivery and promotion of Toronto’s Public Markets sector.
The development of the Public Markets Action Plan includes an Interdivisional Working Group with representatives from different City of Toronto divisions, obtaining funding from various levels of government or third parties and revising existing work on the Public Markets sector. This Action Plan is the first of its kind in Canada and North America.
The term “public market” is new to many people. Work to finalize a definition and set of principles to clarify what a public market is, is ongoing and informed by the community and Public Market Interdivisional Working Group.
It is important to define public markets to increase understanding and promote transparency across the different types of markets.
Public Markets are vibrant, purpose-driven gatherings that offer some form of commerce or retail, deliver place-based activities that celebrate diverse cultures in our city and support community connections and wellbeing.
They happen in public spaces and are open to everyone with no fee to enter. They can take place seasonally or year-round and may have a diverse mix of locally owned and operated businesses providing an important economic opportunity to urban and rural entrepreneurs, enabling inclusive economies and climate action.
They typically feature a wide range of culturally appropriate, locally and globally produced goods, including fresh produce, meats, artisanal products, prepared foods and more, catering to the everyday shopping needs of residents.
While the types of markets detailed below are not unique to Toronto, they are a reflection of the current public market ecosystem.
Toronto has two container markets. Market 707 at Scadding Court Community Centre opened in 2011 and was the first market using refurbished shipping containers, offering affordable retail space to urban entrepreneurs as part of its business incubator and entrepreneurship program. It was followed by Stackt Market, an award-winning public market that transformed unused public land into a bustling food and culture hub.
Toronto currently has 35 farmers’ markets, which primarily aim to support and promote Ontario producers. To qualify as a farmers’ market in Ontario, at least 50 per cent, plus one vendors must sell agricultural products they produce directly to customers.
With younger people increasingly interested in reducing waste and reusing items, this category has grown significantly in recent years, with more than 18 markets in Toronto. These markets focus on second-hand, vintage, antique and hand-made goods.
These small pop-up markets offer affordable fresh produce, prepared foods and sometimes include other health promotion services. They are located mostly in underserved neighbourhoods where access to fresh food is limited, income levels often limit access to nutritious and culturally appropriate food or residents might face mobility challenges. Examples are:
Municipal markets are operated by a municipality or in direct partnership. In Toronto, St. Lawrence Market District is the only municipal market in operation.
This category of one-of-a-kind markets is very diverse in types and number. They range from the Toronto Flower Market, to neighbourhood-based markets such as Taste of Regent Park. Some are very specific markets such as Three Sisters Indigenous Peoples Market and the Queer Market at 519 Community Centre, while others are seasonal activations like Union Station Winter & Summer Markets.
The Ontario Food Terminal is Ontario’s only public wholesale market, serving as a crucial distribution hub for regional and imported fresh produce, fruits and other agricultural products. The Ontario Food Terminal ensures access to fresh food at wholesale prices, benefiting independent retailers, restaurants and food processors.
Toronto’s community-based markets have evolved to meet the needs of residents and entrepreneurs, making them challenging to categorize.
Globally, Public Markets are classified into five types based on infrastructure, reflecting the type of building they operate in and their frequency. This classification helps highlight the link between access to infrastructure and the public market’s ability to consistently provide access to fresh food and staple goods to residents and economic opportunities to local entrepreneurs.
Toronto public markets are mostly led by community champions, non-for profits or entrepreneurs. They operate independently, while many have become a feature in neighbourhoods across the city.
| Infrastructure | Description | Examples in Toronto |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent | Purpose-built facilities with indoor and outdoor spaces, including infrastructure like stalls, loading docks and cold storage for vendors, along with customer seating areas.
Typically operating year-round, these markets may run several days a week or daily. Operators can be for-profit, non-profit or municipal. Vendors offer a mix of fresh produce, crafts and flea market items, with staffing typically a mix of full-time and part-time roles. |
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| Semi-Permanent | Temporary infrastructure like sheds, tents or containers to protect vendors and customers from the elements.
They typically have access to power, water and sometimes shared storage. Often operating seasonally or year-round, these markets usually run a few times a week and are staffed by part-time or permanent employees. |
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| Temporary | Operate in public or private spaces, often using pop-up tents and typically run for a few hours daily.These markets usually operate seasonally (May to October) with minimal infrastructure and their success largely depends on weather conditions.Vendors set up and take down daily and access to water, electricity, bathrooms and storage varies depending on the location. |
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| Mobile | Mobile markets and vendors were historically an integral part of Toronto’s culinary landscape. Pushcarts and peddlers helped feed parts of the city that lacked formal food distribution infrastructure.
This is still happening formally and informally across the city. |
FoodShare Toronto ran the Mobile Good Food Market in partnership with Toronto Public Health and location hosts. The program was cancelled during COVID-19.
The City of Toronto’s “A la Carte Program” was a mobile street vending initiative that could be considered part of a mobile market model. |
| Market District | Includes a blend of independent retail, street vending (both organized and semi-organized), restaurants and coordinated seasonal and annual events that bring the neighbourhood together.
Each element contributes to the district’s unique character, making these vibrant cultural hubs popular destinations where residents and tourists can experience Toronto’s diversity. |
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Developing the Public Markets sector is an ongoing collaboration between the City, market managers, academia and other stakeholders. The past decade includes many milestones that have led to the development of an action plan.
Toronto Public Food Markets Working Group is formed from a recommendation of the Toronto Food Policy Council.
The first City of Toronto Public Market Interdivisional Working Group is created after successful motion at the Economic Development Committee of Toronto City Council.
Toronto, together with Pittsburgh and Seattle, participated in creating the first international report: Toward Market Cities: Lessons on Supporting Public Market Systems. This resulted in the creation of the first digital, interactive map of city of Toronto Public Markets.
Proposals submitted for Toronto to host the 11th International Public Market Conference “Are Market Cities for All?”. A year later Toronto was named as the successful bidder and would host the conference in 2023.
City of Toronto and Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance co-fund the Scarborough Neighbourhood Fresh Food Pilot and later produced a learning report from the pilot project.
The 11th International Public Markets Conference was put together by the Project for Public Spaces, the City of Toronto, St. Lawrence Market and marketcityTO to position Toronto globally.
The City of Toronto announces and participates in its first ever Public Markets Week.
Release of the Understanding Toronto Public-Markets Ecosystem report is followed by a presentation to the Economic & Community Development Committee: Strengthening Toronto’s Public Markets and Mid-Size Food Retail Infrastructure.
Toronto City Council approves a motion to create the Public Markets Action Plan to be brought back to City Council in 2025.
The second annual Public Markets Week occurs with plans to continue the event in 2025 and annually.
The third annual Public Markets Week continues to build on the successes of previous years.
Toronto City Council to consider the completed Public Markets Action Plan for adoption in late 2025.