Work may already be underway on the $6-million City Market renovation project, which includes a new roof, escalator and elevator, but a significant piece of the funding is still missing.
Mayor Mel Norton says they’re still waiting on an answer from the province on a request for $2-million for the project. He says they have asked for this repeatedly and put in an application last year with the Regional Development Corporation and have re-submitted it two or three times. He calls the market their top priority.
“Ultimately the City of Saint John, if we can’t find a partner with our other level of government, then the City of Saint John and the taxpayers of Saint John have to find some other way to fund that,” says Norton.
The federal government has already contributed $2-million to the project but that’s contingent on the execution of an agreement with the province’s Regional Development Corporation. The other $2-million would come from the city.
At Monday’s meeting of Common Council approval was given for a claim to be submitted to ACOA for approximately $131,000 worth of eligible expenses from the renovation project so far.
The Saint John City Market is the oldest continuous farmer’s market in Canada.
