One Market

Future-Ready

As part of its ongoing strategic space planning, Wilfrid Laurier University is concentrating more student and academic activity in key Brantford campus buildings, and One Market is at the heart of that approach. The university’s most ambitious adaptive reuse project to date, One Market is being transformed from a former shopping centre into a dynamic hub of student life and community engagement.

Laurier purchased the former Market Square mall from the City of Brantford in 2014 and began remodeling and occupying spaces for university purposes in 2019. Ongoing upgrades are bringing new energy and purpose to the property, creating vibrant, flexible spaces that will be essential to the growth and evolution of Laurier’s Brantford campus.

The mandate for One Market reflects Laurier’s priorities, including:

1. A campus that is fully integrated into downtown Brantford;
2. A respect for the history of the area and the community;
3. Support for the expansion of postsecondary education for Laurier; and
4. To continue the remarkable revitalization of downtown Brantford that has resulted from the long and productive collaboration between the university and the city.

Creating Vibrancy

The 300,000 square foot building currently houses a Student Commons meeting and study space; Senate and Board Chamber; the Belmont Restaurant, owned and operated by the WLU Students’ Union; the Level 1 Lounge student social space; the Welcome Centre; classrooms and meeting rooms; offices for the Faculty of Science; and centralized student services like Academic Advising, Enrolment Services, Career and Co-op, and the Dean of Students offices.

The One Market Atrium plays host to a number of marquee events open to members of campus and the broader community. Programming in this versatile space includes the annual Academic, Creative and Engaged Research Showcase (ACERS), an exhibition of outstanding undergraduate student research, and the Purple and Gold Party, a free, family-friendly celebration that began as part of the Brantford campus’s 25th anniversary and has since become a community tradition.  

Building Community

In September 2024, One Market was the site of the inaugural MarketFest, a celebration of contemporary Indigenous thinkers, makers and musicians hosted by Laurier's Brantford campus Communications and Community Engagement team and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. Free and open to the public, the event transformed the Atrium into a marketplace of Indigenous vendors, curated by acclaimed Indigenous artist and Laurier alum Alanah Jewell (BA ’19) of Morningstar Designs. Guests were also invited to attend public lectures on subjects ranging from local history to Indigenization at Laurier and take in live music from the Little Creek Singers, Six Nations Women Singers, Lacey Hill and James N. Wilson.

Its success sparked a second MarketFest in March 2026, which included performances from Joe Martin and the Grand River Smoke Dancers.

Now an annual event, MarketFest is a step toward fulfilling Laurier’s commitment to restoring mutual benefit at this site for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

At One Market's Podcasting Studio, Laurier students, faculty and staff can access professional recording equipment and advice from the university’s podcaster-in-residence, Avery Moore Kloss. Podcasters — and aspiring podcasters — can sign up for studio time, an editing booth or training.

One Market is also home to environmentally conscious initiatives that helped earn the Brantford campus a Green Business Award from the City of Brantford in 2024.

• The Laurier Honey Bee Project, which installed apiaries with 320,000 bees on the roof of One Market, addresses pollinator and bee decline through sustainable beekeeping. The project produces and sells Golden Hawk Honey, which the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies named the province’s best in February 2026.
• Since opening in One Market in 2023, the Laurier Freestore operated by the Dean of Students Office has provided more than 4,500 kg of donated household items, kitchenware and school supplies to students at no charge. Collected during the annual Move Out program and throughout the year during pop-ups and donation drives, these items benefit students and help keep waste out of landfills.

Several classrooms and meeting rooms in One Market are available for rent by community members, committees and organizations. Most rooms are equipped with multimedia equipment, with capacities ranging from 20 to 48.

Evolving and Investing

One Market will continue to develop in a way that best meets the needs of both students and the community.

Laurier has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the RedDoor Collective, an Indigenous-owned media and production company, to explore the creation of a centre for Indigenous-led creativity, education and economic development in One Market.

In spring 2025, Laurier invited faculty, librarians and staff across all campuses to propose projects for the $500,000 Brantford Campus Vibrancy Fund, which supports bold, creative ideas that enhance campus life and foster community engagement in the Brantford core.

The selected projects, including enhanced event infrastructure and catering facilities to service the One Market Atrium, as well as improvements to One Market's student spaces, are anticipated to roll out in spring 2027.

More exciting changes lie ahead for One Market as Laurier’s Brantford campus continues to evolve as a dynamic destination for learning in downtown Brantford, and as a catalyst for vibrancy and growth in the city’s core.

Related Links

• Inspired Community, Real Impact: Laurier celebrates 25 years of impact in Brantford-Brant
• Subscribe to Campus Connections Brantford, Laurier’s monthly community e-newsletter
• Building a Thriving Future: Wilfrid Laurier University’s social and economic impact