The Sprout Kitchen Food Hub in Quesnel has been given a boost with its plans to rebuild after a fire last year.
It is extending an agreement that doesn’t require it to pay rent for up to 30 months.
That timeline represents the number of months that the business lost under the old agreement due to a fire that destroyed their building back in May of 2025, as well as 6 months of contingency should a new foundation be required at 101 Marsh Drive.
Amy Reid, the city’s Minister of Economic Development & Tourism, went over what this agreement would mean at this week’s Council meeting.
“Extending the term of the operating agreement now will give Sprout Kitchen Society some certainty about expected costs when they are re-open, time to re-grow their user base, the ability to retain the staff needed to operate and promote Sprout Kitchen, and to leverage or attract other grants or sponsorships to early operations after re-opening, and to leverage or attract other grants or sponsorships to early operations after re-opening.”
Councillor Martin Runge was the only one not in favour of the deal saying he just wasn’t comfortable with the numbers that were being presented.
“We just want to make sure that we’ve crossed all our t’s and this goes to those numbers that I asked before. I’m not sure if I have all of them. For the record I want the Sprout Kitchen to go, I just want it to be successful long term.”
Mayor Ron Paull encouraged Council to take a leap of faith.
“Yes there are some question marks out there, but as I said earlier this is a leap of faith and I’m optimistic and I say that, and I think everyone would agree, that food security and producing and shopping and procuring locally has never been more important than it is now.”
Plans to rebuild at 101 Marsh Drive are underway and the best-case scenario for re-opening would be in early 2027 if all goes smoothly.
