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The ByWard Market, among the largest and longest-running farmers’ markets in Canada, is on the decline, and some fear it is headed for extinction.

Competing neighbourhood markets, scarce and expensive parking, construction and over-regulation, they believe, are conspiring to empty its sidewalks of produce growers and vendors.

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It is a rare day when the outdoor stalls reserved for farm products, plants and flowers are much more than half filled, while otherwise unused stands are given over to craft sellers or automobiles.

In the last four years, the number of agri-food retailers in the Market’s outdoor stalls dropped by 22 per cent, from 86 to 67.

We lose 50 per cent of our customers from one year to the next.

The trend has enormous implications for Ottawa. About 90 per cent of the 10 million tourists who visit the capital each year shop in the ByWard Market, and the farmers’ stalls are a large part of the area’s charm.

The farmers market, established in 1826, is also a rich part of Ottawa tradition and culture. The ByWard Market is a rare combination of fresh produce stands, stores, restaurants and nightlife that is popular with everyone, notes Ottawa architect and urban designer Barry Padolsky, who calls it “the National Capital’s universally loved meeting place.”

“It’s remarkable for its urbanity, human scale, history and gritty sensuality. You can’t find a place like this on Facebook. We need to conserve it forever and enhance it.”