St. Lawrence Market Gets Expanded Hours,

TORONTO; Hours of operation at the City of Toronto's St. Lawrence Market will be expanded for a one-year pilot project starting Sunday, July 31.

The pilot project is the result of a recent review of the Market's hours of operation which included public feedback and an evaluation of how operational improvements can help the Market better serve residents of Toronto and visitors to the city.

New operating hours under the pilot will be:

• Tuesdays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Closed on Mondays

The pilot will run for one year from July 31 and will inform a more permanent operating schedule for the remainder of 2023 and beyond. The revised hours of operation will make the Market more accessible, with service hours that meet visitors' changing needs and preferences.

The changes include having the Market open on Sundays, and later morning opening times and later evening closing times on weekdays.

In March 2020, St. Lawrence Market was in the process of launching a pilot project with expanded hours of operation, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was paused and hours of operation were modified and reduced to assist with COVID-19 health measures. As the Toronto economy recovers, the Market is now able to relaunch expanded hours of operation.

Over the past few months, the City has collected and reanalyzed feedback from stakeholders to better understand and evaluate the needs of the Market and changes in operations due to COVID-19. The input from merchants, customers, the public, neighbourhood residents and stakeholders, as well as data from markets around the world and local retail establishments, has informed the revised Market hours of operation.

St. Lawrence Market merchants have been provided a three-month advance notice of these changes to ensure that the City and merchants have adequate time to make operational adjustments to smoothly transition to the expanded hours. St. Lawrence Market management is working with merchants to assist in areas such as staffing to help fill vacant positions required to sufficiently operationalize the new hours of operation.

Holiday hours of operation may vary during the pilot project and will be posted on the St. Lawrence Market website in advance.

More information about the hours of operation pilot project is available on the St. Lawrence Market website: http://www. stlawrencemarket.com/.

Mayor John Tory said: “It's very exciting that the St. Lawrence Market will be re-launching expanded hours of operation. I want to thank the many businesses who make the Market such a special place. In 2020 we pivoted as COVID-19 impacted previous launch plans, now we are moving forward together with this exciting pilot. The new hours of operation pilot project modernizes the Market's operations and ensures that more people – residents and visitors to our city - have the opportunity to experience this amazing, historic Toronto destination.”

St. Lawrence Market is a renowned international food market featuring 120 merchants, vendors and farmers, offering fresh produce, meats and specialty items. Serving Toronto residents and international visitors since 1803, the market is regularly recognized as one of Toronto's most popular destinations and was ranked the number one food market in the world by National Geographic. The St. Lawrence Market Complex consists of St. Lawrence Hall, the South Market and the North Market – the latter now in its temporary home at 125 The Esplanade. For information about the St. Lawrence Market Complex, visit www.stlawrencemarket.com, or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StLawrenceMarket, Twitter at www.twitter.com/StLawrenceMkt or Instagram at www.instagram.com/StLawrenceMarket.