Community farms on shaky ground amid MetroWorks financial troubles

Anjuli Patil · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Common Roots Urban Farm, which operates assemblage and marketplace gardens successful Halifax and Dartmouth, says its assets were seized arsenic a effect of fiscal troubles with MetroWorks, its genitor organization.

MetroWorks, a Nova Scotia non-profit enactment which has been successful cognition since 1977, filed for bankruptcy connected March 6. In a station to societal media, the workplace said its assets were seized the aforesaid day.

"Last Thursday was a full daze to america arsenic we were ramping up for the season," Nicola Nemy, co-ordinator of the farm's Halifax tract located astatine the bottommost of Bayers Road, told CBC's Mainstreet Halifax connected Tuesday.

"The farms were conscionable truly profoundly loved and cared for places and this closure has enactment each of that astatine hazard for now."

Hilary Lindsay, who co-ordinates the Dartmouth workplace astatine the Nova Scotia Hospital, told Mainstreet that the workplace needs a caller genitor organization.

"There bash look to beryllium immoderate possibilities retired there," Lindsay said. "A batch of radical person been reaching retired to us, organizations and the metropolis trying to fig retired however we tin prevention the farm.

"So, thing is for definite yet by a agelong shot, but determination [are] definitely a batch of radical who privation to spot the farms proceed and admit the truly important relation they play. So, that feels hopeful."

According its website, Common Roots Urban Farm has 3 types of gardening plots astatine some of its locations — common, assemblage and marketplace garden.

'There's truthful overmuch astatine stake'

Common areas are plots wherever anyone tin explore. The marketplace plot grows nutrient to merchantability and donate. The assemblage plot rents retired plots to radical oregon groups to turn nutrient for themselves and their community.  

"I deliberation there's so overmuch astatine stake," Lindsay said.

"Hundreds of radical person plots determination wherever they turn food. And a batch of the radical who person plots astatine our farms are caller to Canada and are utilized to increasing their ain nutrient and privation to turn their ain nutrient and can't really either spend oregon find the nutrient that they privation to bargain here."

Lindsay says different large portion of the farms is the assemblage aspect.

"A batch of radical are truly heartbroken and devastated, particularly fixed everything that's happening successful the satellite close now," Lindsay said. "I deliberation for a batch of radical the farms are places to spell and find assemblage and link with the ungraded and the plants and each different and that worldly is truly important."

In summation to Common Roots Urban Farm, MetroWorks also operated societal enterprises Stone Hearth Bakery and The Ampersand Café. It besides ran the Cunard Learning Centre and employment skills programs for newcomers.