The City of Hamilton has issued its first non-compliance and lease termination notice to a Hamilton Farmers Market vendor under a previously unenforced Vendor Attendance Policy requiring all merchants – with limited exceptions for farmer/producers – to be open on every Market day (Wednesday through Saturday).
Following years of debate and consultation, the Hamilton Farmers Market Board voted in mid-February to begin enforcement on May 1, 2026. Vendors were required to confirm they would be open for a minimum of six hours on Wednesday through Friday, and seven hours on Saturday.
All but one Market vendor confirmed compliance. Larry Jantzi, owner of Jantzi Cheese on the upper level of the Market, informed the City his stall will remain closed on Wednesdays. Today, April 9, 2026, he was issued a notice of lease termination effective May 3. The notice will be revoked, and his lease will continue, if he commits to being open on Wednesdays.
“Further to the Notice to Comply delivered to you in person by Market Staff on April 2, 2026, we received your declaration of Market operating hours,” reads the City termination notice posted beside Jantzi’s stall. “However, it is not in compliance with the Vendor Attendance Policy at it must include attendance and eligible hours of operation on all four Hamilton Farmers’ Market operating days (Wednesday to Saturday).
“As the deadline for declaration has now passed, this letter serves as notice that your current Hamilton Farmers’ License agreement will be terminated effective Sunday, May 3, 2026.”
The Hamilton Farmers Market has been struggling post-COVID due to a significant decrease in customers and the impact of social conditions in the downtown core. Market foot traffic remains over 25 per cent below pre-COVID 2019 levels.
Vendors are reporting significant decreases in sales, especially during the past few months as social disorder issues dominate local news headlines, particularly at the Central branch of Hamilton Public Library.
The Market is located on the lower level of the municipal building that houses the Central Library branch. The library has decreased its hours of operation, ended its Sunday hours, and instituted a requirement to have a valid library card, in response to social disorder in the core. In February, the library considered enacting an emergency closure.
The Hamilton Farmers Market Stallholders Association is planning to hold an urgent meeting in the coming days in response to the termination notice, said association president Jeff Pychel, who is the owner of Club Pantry.
Pychel stated a formal response from the Association will be issued after this meeting concludes.
The City of Hamilton has not yet issued a statement.
Vendor attendance has plagued the Market for over a decade, with the City receiving steady complaints from members of the public regarding vendors closing during market hours. After years of inaction following the 2017 reversal of an earlier enforcement decision, the Board voted in February 2026 to resume enforcement.
The Market Board’s first Chair eventually resigned in frustration over attendance compliance and other issues. A 2020 consultant’s report, which recommended disbanding the Market Board structure, noted that 31 per cent of 701 respondents to a customer survey conducted in 2018 and 2019 stated vendor attendance as a complaint.
Pychel stated he expects the vendor association will seek to delegate to either the Board or to City Council.
The Market Board will next meet on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
Production Details
v. 1.0.0
Published: April 9, 2026
Last updated: April 9, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
Update Record
v. 1.0.0 original version
Perhaps there are some valid reasons as to why this business can not stay open for all of the hours that the market requests.
Maybe they can’t get any other help to run the business on Wednesday’s.
Maybe someone in the family is having Cancer treatments on Wednesday’s.
I’m sure that the business has a very good reason for not being open the full day on Wednesday’s.
I think this is a stupid move on the management of the Farmers Market.
They are loosing rent money until some other business takes over the space.
I have no problem with this eviction. The conditions were agreed upon by the vendors and this lessee wasn’t in compliance. They received warnings and still didn’t comply. There are other cheese vendors. Life will move on.
The vendors all pay the same amount of rent, why are there two different responses, depending on whether you are a farmer, or not? Should all vendors not be subject to the same set of stipulations?
Very little has been done with the taxpayers near $700,000 investment in consultants to improve the market. Those improvements would probably be far more effective in regulating vendor attendance than would punishments
Extremely hypocritical of a city employed market manager earning a 6 figure salary working just 4 days/week dictating to vendors how to run their businesses. These vendors pay full lease rate regardless of hours worked and subsidize the salary of every city employee that works at the market. The city expects full lease paid AND operate and pay staff on a weekday that generates little to no business. The city has completely failed to maintain a welcoming environment outside the market, and continues to fail in holding a market manager accountable for doing literally anything to improve the traffic inside the market. The manager and staff get paid regardless of customer traffic inside the market. Ask any of the vendors if that’s true for them. If you want to know why the HFM is struggling, look no further than the City of Hamilton and incompetent market management.
Martina, from my understanding, this was voted on by the board after two years of consultation with vendors. It sounds like the vast majority are aligned on the hours, with only one vendor not in agreement. Sounds like your giving the market manager too much credit when it was clearly voted on by the peers of other vendors. If the market is so poorly run and customer traffic is declining, why stay in the first place? Vendors wouldn’t continue operating there if it wasn’t profitable.
This is precisely my point. Many of the vendors I frequented have left. Some have moved to Ottawa street or Locke. There are empty stalls throughout the market. When I asked those that left the reason why, they all cited significant drop in foot traffic and terrible mismanagement by the city. One vendor explained to me that they can work different hours within the new hour structure. If a vendor chooses to work 5 hours a day Wednesday to Saturday, why is the one vendor that works 8 hours Thursday to Saturday being punished? He actually puts in more hours over 3 days and pays the same rent. Driving a legacy vendor out of the market when the city can’t even rent the empty stalls throughout the market makes zero sense to me. The market is not a grocery store, it’s not meant to be. It’s a very different experience. One I fear we might lose before too long.
I understand wanting to support long-standing vendors, but giving preference based on tenure can be difficult for newer vendors to accept.
From a customer perspective, consistency has been a long-standing concern. People want to feel confident that when they visit, vendors will be there.
Turnover is a normal part of any business environment. Like retail or restaurants, some stay and some move on. Ultimately, vendors choose to participate under a contract, and if it no longer works for them, they can decide to leave.
With that many vendors, it’s not realistic to expect everyone to be completely satisfied.
At its core, this comes down to a simple question—are you operating to serve the public?
For years, the public has voiced concerns about inconsistent hours at the market. The message has been clear. Aside from one exception, vendors have acknowledged it.
Without meaningful change, it’s hard to see how you’ll retain the public support you may be counting on.
Well said.