Farmers Market will get its wine and beer

NEWS/ CITY HALL — The Kamloops Farmers Market can allow local wineries and breweries to sell their products at its Saturday markets for the rest of the year but it will have to apply to the City if it wants to do it again in 2015.

Kamloops City council agreed to change the Farmers Market’s use permit on the basis of a pilot project even though staff proposed a public consultation process first. But Coun. Tina Lange pointed out the provincial government has already gone through an extensive process that involved 65 different groups and 87 days of consultation, resulting in “overwhelming” public support for the change to provincial law.

“I kind of feel that as a council and City staff we really do need to expedite this process,” she said.

She said at least 10 B.C. communities have already allowed their farmers’ markets to take advantage of the change in the liquor laws to allow sales and sampling of local wine and beer. Lange pointed out there are strict regulations requiring a contained area, setting out how samples are served and how big they can be.

She said the market still has two months left in the season and would benefit from council’s approval.

Coun. Arjun Singh, who earlier had reservations, said feedback has convinced him to give it a try. “The feedback that I’ve received from the community has been largely ‘let’s try this out with the rules and regulations that we have.'”

Coun. Nelly Dever said she felt the same way.

“The idea, I support,” said Coun. Marg Spina, who had to take over the chair when Mayor Peter Milobar, who is in the liquor sales business, declared a conflict of interest and excused himself from the discussion.

Coun. Donovan Cavers, who has a relative involved in the farmers’ market, also declared a conflict.

After several attempts at motions and amendments, council decided on the pilot-project and re-application approach.