It's not often we hear grain company spokespeople commend railways, but that's the case this fall, as the grain supply chain handles one of the largest crops in Western Canadian history. "As a general statement, we think rail performance has been pretty good this fall," says Wade Sobkowich, executive director of the Western Grain Elevator... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
Six years after Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia signed on, Manitoba has finally joined the New West Partnership Trade Agreement. The province's previous NDP government held out of the interprovincial deal, but the Progressive Conservatives, who formed government in April, have long been in favour of joining the neighbours to the west. “Business owners, community... Read More
The comment period is officially open on the Ontario government's carbon Offsets Credits Regulatory Proposal. Launched this week by Ontario's minister of the environment and climate change Glen Murray while at the United Nations' 22nd Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Morocco, the comment period runs for 45 days. The proposed regulation allows companies... Read More
Keith Currie, who farms at Collingwood, Ont., is currently one of two vice presidents of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). Early next week, he'll stand in front of the membership and ask them to vote him in as the new president, following two years of leadership under Don McCabe. It's a critical time for... Read More
This is an editorial column written by Brian Innes, president of CAFTA (Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance): Threats to rip up NAFTA and trash the TPP send a chill down the spines of Canadians whose livelihoods depend on trade. And while the Trump administration’s action plan is not yet clear, it is crystal clear that Canada’s... Read More
Sheep farmers in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have formed a new partnership to continue to move the sheep industry in Canada forward. Ontario and Alberta were the most recent provincial organizations to withdraw support of the Canadian Sheep Federation. The National Sheep Network – comprising of the Alberta Lamb Producers, the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency... Read More
Canada is moving towards a national food policy, so says the marching orders handed down to federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay in mandate letters set out last fall. Prime Minister Trudeau has tasked MacAulay to "develop a food policy that promotes healthy living and safe food by putting more healthy, high-quality food, produced by Canadian... Read More
Manitoba farmers are pushing the province's new government to make changes to its property tax system after taxes owed on farmland climbed dramatically this year. Depending on the municipality and school division, property taxes rose between $2 and $29 per acre year-over-year, explains Dan Mazier, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, in the interview below. There... Read More
With the election of Donald Trump this week, Canadians have reacted with comments falling into predictable camps. Like all people in society, Trudeau and Trump both have strengths and weaknesses and our view of their characteristics can follow party lines. Liberals brag that Canada has a "decent," compassionate leader that believes in climate change, equality,... Read More
With a Trump presidency come many questions and really few answers on what is next. During the campaign many promises were made with little clear understanding of which ones will be followed through on. I chatted with Farm Journal's John Phipps the morning after the surprise election result. First off, Trump promised a collapse of... Read More