Province commits $2.03M for Saint John City Market upgrades

The Saint John City Market has secured $2.03 million in funding from the provincial government, allowing$6.09 million in upgrades to proceed.

Premier Brian Gallant announced the funding at the national historic site on Friday afternoon, along with Saint JohnMP Wayne Long and MayorDon Darling, whose governments had previously committed equal amounts.

"Today's announcement is one that we have been working on for quite some time," Gallant told the crowd gathered at the uptown market.

"One of the ways that we are going to grow the economy and one of the ways we can be sure that we have the best quality of life for the residents of our province is by investing in infrastructure," hesaid.

The work will includereplacing the roofing, repairing and stabilizing the masonry and reconstructing the head tower.

"For us, what was important was the $60 million for the port of Saint John. After that, we looked at the next priority and I can tell you that the Saint John market was one that Mayor Don Darling and Wayne Long had made a priority," Gallant said.

"It is one of the key national historic treasures that the city has. I come up to the market every Saturday and walk around and talk to people," said Long.

"That we are able to, three levels of government, contribute over $6million for the restoration and refurbishment is a very, very special day," he said.

The work will startright away, said Long.

"A vendor stopped us and said they have people that have travelled all over the world and they are so impressed with this building and the experience that you have and the fact the decor in the building changes frequently and the experience that you have, so it's a very unique asset that we have," saidDarling.

"This is the piece that allows us to stand out around the globe and give people an experience when they are visiting our city. So yes, I'm ecstatic and I'm so proud of our city," he said.

The city marketis the oldest continuing farmer's market in Canada, with a charter dating from 1785. The current market building was completed in 1876.

In2013, the Saint John City Market was named Canada's Great Public Space, by the Canadian Institute of Planners. The contest is staged annually by the institute to celebrate places Canadians love and to highlight the role of professional planners in creating these places.