When neighbouring communities work together, rather than compete, this whole process is much more stream- lined and much more beneficial. We have also renamed the plan to be called an Integrated Development Plan to reflect all of the municipal and community resources needed to create and execute the plan to grow our community. We have a vibrant regional Farmers Market here that has an excellent reputation and is recognized for the strong partnership that exist between the Market and the Town. Owned by the Town of New Glasgow and leased by the Market Cooperative, the Town received support from the federal government, provincial government and the Munic- ipality of the County of Pictou to build the seasonal building and the year round building. Town staff were instrumental in securing the funding. The market attracts more than 2,000 people to New Glasgow every Saturday morning and the business community also benefits. Usually when there is an event happening in New Glasgow, we connect immediately with the organizers of the Farmers Market because they can provide all kinds of support, including hosting on their site. Just last year they hosted a Christmas market in the new all-season facility. It opened at four o’clock and by the end of the night 2,500 people had walked through the door. I spoke with several restaurant owners and from what I could gather several restaurants in New Glasgow had been jam- packed that night because of this special event. We work with the Market to launch Winter Carnival season with an event called Chill-out and for the past three years, it has
brought more than a thousand people to the downtown core annually. This has made businesses throughout the region more interested in the Farmers Market than ever before. They all want to know when these kinds of events are taking place so that they can take advantage of the economic spinoff. I can say with certainty and sincerity that the New Glasgow Farmer’s Market is known and respected far and wide. How has its success shaped the entrepreneur- ial community in New Glasgow? GM: I was recently asked to make a presentation on the partnership between the local municipalities and the Town of New Glasgow with the Farmers Market at the Farmers Markets of Nova Scotia AGM in Halifax. I was asked by several people why we are so enthusiastic about partner- ing with the FarmersMarket at the municipal level. When I talked about the economic spinoff there were no longer any questions about justifying the resources we put into this. I told them that every Farmers Market is a business incubator and I strongly believe that. We have a local entrepreneur who combined working out of a community art studio space owned by the Town with being a frequent vendor at Farmers Market – who started at the New Glasgow Farmers
Market and after only a year, she now owns her own business
GREATNESS IS AN ATTITUDE. The future is written by the doers, makers and creators. Those who are eager to get things done and make their mark. The world belongs to those who never settle. And NSCC is for those who Strive.
Watch Callum’s STRIVE film at nscc.ca/callum
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2017
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