Last March, marketcityTO had the privilege of presenting to Community Development Work students from Centennial College. We were invited to talk about marketcityTO’s work in the context of Asset-Based Community Development, which is a strengths-based approach to community development that focuses on what the community already has, instead of what it does not have.   

Our presentation, titled “Making Markets Visible: Strengthening Toronto’s Public Markets Sector,” engaged six Community Development Work students (plus their professor) in an afternoon of learning and rich discussion, touching on the following topics: 

• Ten things about Toronto public markets;

• Five things about marketcityTO as an organization;

• Why advocating for Toronto public markets matter; and

• Asset-Based Community Development and how marketcityTO has applied it in its work.

The talk piqued the students’ interest very much, judging by how absorbed they were during the meeting. They asked very insightful questions, indicating a keen desire to understand more about public markets. We were truly glad to see that they now appreciated the power and potential of public markets in contributing to community development across all Toronto neighbourhoods.  

The event was graciously hosted by Daniel Picheca of St. Lawrence Market, who also engaged the Centennial College students in a brief discussion about their market. Daniel capped off the students’ learning session with a wonderful tour around the St. Lawrence Market Complex, which included the Temporary North Market tent, South Market building, the redeveloped North Market building, and the St. Lawrence Hall.   

It was indeed a fruitful afternoon of knowledge-sharing, and a most welcome opportunity to gain more advocates for the strengthening of the Toronto public markets sector!