Board of Directors
France Benoit, President
France is the co-founder and one of the original vendors of the Yellowknife Farmers Market. She operates Le Refuge Farm downtown Yellowknife and shares its bounty through an online store and the weekly Market. She grows vegetables and herbs but, more importantly, she hopes to grow hope and inspiration for another generation of food-based businesses.
Lise Picard, Vice-President
Lise Picard join the market’s board in 2015 and started the Waste Reduction Program. The program has been very successful and has inspired many organizations to reduce waste at their events. Lise is very involved in submitting grant applications and securing funding for the market. She has been living in Yellowknife since 1981 where she raised a family, worked as a nutritionist and enjoyed gardening and the outdoors.
Joslyn Oosenbrug, Secretary
Joslyn Oosenbrug finds great joy in a peppery lettuce leaf, a sweet tomato, a spoonful of tangy yoghurt spread and a crusty loaf of sourdough bread. She loves perusing farmers markets all over the world, and has championed the YKFM’s Market Experience Committee as a board member since 2018. Joslyn loves to bring her husband and two young daughters to the Market to eat and to dance.
Derek Simmers, Director
Soon after moving to Yellowknife in spring of 2023, Derek took on the role of coordinating for the Harvesters Table at the Yellowknife Farmers Market. Along with that, he helped the market celebrate its 10th year anniversary by co-organizing a series of events including gardening workshops and the taiko drumming-infused, giant salad making ‘Salad-bration’. Now a board member, he’s looking forward to contributing to YKFM’s role a hub for food growers, food lovers and artisans of Chief Drygeese territory and the North Slave region.
Caroline Lafontaine, Director
Caroline has called the North home for over 23 years. She has worked in many communities of the Dehcho, Akaitcho and the Sahtu territories as an environmental biologist and is now supporting the development of culture as a Senior Program Officer for Canadian Heritage. She has contributed to the development of agriculture in the NWT in various capacities over the years, including various positions on the YKFM Board. Caroline was a vendor from 2015 to 2019. The Healing Touch Practitioner enjoys home gardening, writing and various art forms.
