Census Canada breaks out working farms at the regional district level and higher. For Area A (Hornby Island, Denman Island, Fanny Bay, Union Bay, and Royston) the census shows 71 working farms.
The Census Canada Profile for Denman Island shows a total of 75 people working in “Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting”. This indicates that at the very most there can be 67 farms on Denman, but there are likely fewer due to multiple people working on one farm, the inclusion of forestry, fishing and hunting, and the number of farms in other Area A locations.1
However, the Census Canada Profile for Hornby Island shows a total of 45 people working in “Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting”. This indicates that, at the very most, there can be 45 farms on Hornby, but there are likely fewer due to multiple people working on one farm and the inclusion of forestry, fishing and hunting.1
It is unknown how many people augment their food supply throughout the year. We do know that many people have personal kitchen gardens, keep chickens, forage, fish, hunt.
Saturday Market

The Denman Saturday Market is a long running and popular program. The bulk of the vendors are selling local food or serving hot pre-made lunches. The crowd is a diverse mix of locals and visitors.
The market contributes to Denman’s economy, but that is the least of the benefits. As a member of the BC Farmers’ Markets Association, Denman’s Saturday Market is eligible for the Association’s Nutrition Coupon Program. This program supports local farmers by providing coupons for people to shop at their local farmers market. These coupons enable locals to support their farmers, and provides local and nutritional food that many may be unable to afford otherwise. Through the coupon program the Saturday Market boosts the health and food security on Denman Island.
Each Saturday the market has about 25 unique vendors, with 40 different ones throughout the summer. The market has a wide range of providers, including some children and youth. This offers a valuable learning opportunity for these participants.
Farmers' Market

During the shoulder seasons, May - July 1st and Labour Day weekend - Thanksgiving there are roughly 30 vendors each week. From July to the Labour Day Long Weekend, the market is at capacity with 82 vendors. Most of those are regular vendors with roughly 10 drop-ins at each market day.
Of these vendors, there are 22 food providers with hope for more. Hornby’s diversity has enabled many talented people to thrive creating a mix of prepared food, locally-made beverage, and fresh produce vendors at the farmer’s market.
Farm Stands
Denman Island2
- Numerous egg sellers
- SNAG Farmstand
- Two Roads Farmstand
Hornby Island2
- Alina’s Flowers
- Bare Naked Gardeners
- Bare Naked Produce
- Community Garden Farm Stand
- Living Land Farm
- Nancy’s Flowers
- Stead Veggies and Baked Goods
- Strachan Valley Farm
- Summer Soul Farm
- Statistics Canada. 2023. (table). Census Profile. 2021 Census of Population. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2021001. Ottawa. Released March 29, 2023. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed September 6, 2023). ↩︎
- Local Knowledge ↩︎