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Julie Chaisson, executive director of the farmers’ market, said Wednesday the proposed layout changes were the outcome of public consultations that started in 2013, aimed at improving the customer experience and helping businesses succeed.

‘The treatment we are going through is not nice’

Rather than have different types of businesses on the main floor, managers decided to cluster vendors with similar products, creating a “destination,” she said.

First, they moved most artisan vendors to the upper floor. Now, they want to transfer all prepared-food vendors who work only weekends upstairs and create a spot for customers looking to eat.

The vendors’ ethnicity was not a factor in the decision, she said.

“When you walk in, you get a glimpse of the diversity of the city. No one would set out to change that,” she said.

The prepared food vendors that would stay on the main floor are there throughout the week and sell a variety of goods, such as cheese, chocolates and syrup — and at least two sell Asian food, said Lane Farguson, a spokesman for the Halifax Port Authority, which manages the market.

“Throughout the market there are at least 20 vendors representing a variety of diverse nationalities,” he said.

Since it became clear some vendors were unhappy with the proposed change, administrators say they are continuing to explore options.

This is not the first time Nova Scotia has drawn scrutiny over allegations of community friction along ethnic lines.

“ ‘Polite racism,’ inequality still linger in N.S., say minority groups,” read a CBC News headline in November.