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.
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Published: April 9, 2026
Last updated: April 9, 2026
Author: Joey Coleman
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