Are locals cut out of Riverdale Farm?Riverdale Farm selection process similar to Market’s

Eric Morse

Supporters of Riverdale Farm are looking forward with interest and some anxiety to the city’s plans for the future of community involvement in the governance of the Farm.

Their concerns follow the winding-up of the municipally-constituted Riverdale Farm advisory committee in late November, and the earlier winding-up of the Riverdale Farm Coalition.

At the coalition’s wrap-up meeting in September, participants were told that a “public stewardship committee” would be created to participate in farm governance and fundraising/partnership.

The coalition was the broad-based community advocacy group headed by Cabbagetowner Anne Pastuszak to rescue the Farm from the original 2011 KPMG proposal to privatize it, High Park Farm and Far Enough Farm on Centre Island. The coalition presented a business plan, which was duly adopted by council in summer 2012. It requires, among other things, the raising of $500,000 a year from non-tax sources to keep the farm operating.

Pastuzsak told The Bulletin in mid-December that despite inquiries, there had been no communication from the city’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation department on the replacement body for the advisory committee since September, except to say that “internal review and revision by internal offices” were under way.

However, councillor Pam McConnell’s office commented on Dec. 18 that there was supposed to have been an announcement just before Christmas which was then deferred until early January.

According to McConnell’s office, it appears that the public body to be announced will look very much like the St Lawrence Market Precinct advisory committee announced on Dec. 12 (by the city’s real estate services division which runs the Market). That announcement, available on www.pammcconnell.ca, describes a three-year-term volunteer body to be partly composed of six citizens selected by application on a “non-local” basis, some of whom would have “skills-based” knowledge of operational aspects of the Market.

The six community representatives on the St Lawrence Market body would serve in addition to one representative of each of the South Market, Farmer’s Market, Antique Market, and St. Lawrence Hall, one representative from Heritage Toronto, one local resident representative from the St Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, and one local business representative from the St Lawrence Market Business Improvement Area.

The Market body will be responsible “for providing input to city staff on a wide variety of strategic and operational matters for the St. Lawrence Market complex.”

In conversation with The Bulletin, Pastuzsak noted that if the intentions expressed at the September meetings have been adhered to, somewhere in the Farm group’s terms of reference there will also be provisions for fundraising and partnership activities.

On Dec, 21, city parks manager Sandy Straw confirmed, “The [Riverdale Farm] stewardship group advertised recruitment process will launch the week of Jan 7 and close Jan 25. We are looking for a blend of business skills on a city wide basis along with representation from the local community and program participants from the Farm.”

She continued, “The plan is to have the group up and running in February. We are really excited about the potential for new opportunities and partnerships that will build a strong sustainable future and ensure the Farm continues to enhance learning opportunities for all ages.”

Concerns linger among Farm supporters about the lack of information, especially concerning the involvement of community representatives. Whether the selection process will parallel that of the Market body (a “selection committee of [city] staff, the ward councillor, and a representative of the stakeholder groups”) has not been confirmed pending a public announcement.

Cabbagetown resident Dan Eldridge, the last chair of the Riverdale Farm advisory committee, told The Bulletin, “We contributed to the business plan. We hope and expect that the business plan will be fully implemented by the next group. We’re passing the torch to them.”

“A lot is unknown and the key part is how they interact with the city,” Eldridge added. “We hope it will be a pleasant and fruitful interaction.”