Dunlevy: Mile End summer won't be the same without Marché des possibles

Montreal Gazette

5 days ago

By Montreal Gazette
Contrary to the implied promise of its name, Mile End's Marché des possibles will not be possible this summer. Since 2014, the weekly outdoor gathering had brought together artists, music acts, local craftspeople, businesses and residents in an array of otherwise desolate lots in and around Entrepôt 77 on the neighbourhood's northern tip.
But on Monday, POP Montreal announced on social media, 'with a heavy heart,' that the event would not return this year because of a lack of funding.
'It's not a good feeling,' said POP Montreal director Dan Seligman, noting Marché des possibles 'provides a space and opportunity for a lot of up-and-coming musicians and community groups.
'It was a really collaborative project. We did some programming, but most of the programming was done through different community organizations and up-and-coming promoters. We had all kinds of stuff, from dance performances to markets to punk rock shows, DJs. It was fun. It's a great space. People loved it.'
POP Montreal obtained funding and provided the infrastructure for the laid-back and much-loved event, including sound equipment, tents, tables, storage facilities, bar and portable toilets, as well as staffing and security. With no permanent structures to rely on, much of the setup had to be taken down each night.
All of that costs money, which POP Montreal secured through various sources. The budget for Marché des possibles is separate from POP's annual festival activities, and this year everything dried up.
'We had a grant through (the Department of Canadian Heritage) for the last three editions,' Seligman explained. 'That allowed us a decent amount of money to produce the event. We got a bit of money from the Plateau Mont-Royal and had a couple of sponsors.'
The heritage department funding, however, was for new projects. The POP team had applied for it again by attempting to find novel initiatives and ways to present Marché des possibles, but the application was turned down.
'We were holding off to hear about that before making any decisions, but the other sources of funding just weren't there,' Seligman said. 'And without that grant, it was just too hard to pull off. There was not enough money to make it happen on our end.
'For the first few years, we did it, but it was much more DIY (do it yourself); we did get a bit of money, but it was much looser and more of an investment on our part.'
Over the past half decade, POP Montreal began investing more in Marché des possibles and paying the artists involved, leading to increased costs and funding needs.
'To go back to having a free stage without paying anyone didn't make sense,' Seligman said.
Marie Plourde's jaw dropped when she learned of Marché des possibles' cancellation last Thursday. The Projet Montréal councillor for Mile End had the original idea for the event back in 2013, when she contacted Seligman to make it happen.
'It's my baby,' she said.
The concept came to her after the birth of her daughter, as she was seeking options for outings she could bring her kid to in the neighbourhood.
'I'm from a thriving cultural universe,' said the former MusiquePlus VJ and media personality. 'I felt cut off from that world, because I had my baby and couldn't bring her. I said, 'Man, how can it be we don't have a family-friendly cultural and community event in Montreal, in the spirit of the Brooklyn Night Market?''
Plourde is determined to help bring Marché des possibles back in some shape or form. On Monday morning, she sent a letter to Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault to see what could be done.
'I hope to obtain an answer as to whether there's still a way to do something this summer, if not, next summer,' she said.
If not, she will look into possibilities for creating smaller events from the Plateau Mont-Royal's cultural budget.
Either way, she vowed, 'for sure this is not the end of Marché des possibles.'