By Margaret Zafiriou This past year has been one for the books – such a lot has changed from a year ago. These dramatic changes have had repercussions for Ontario consumers, the economy, and for the province’s agriculture and agri-food sector. Record high population growth, lack of housing affordability and food security concerns, on top... Read More
Category: Canadian Agriculture Policy
The federal government is extending the higher interest-free portion on cash advances for 2026. Coinciding with the start of the government's new fiscal year on April 1, Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald announced the interest-free limit under the Advance Payments Program (APP) for 2026 will be maintained at $250 thousand for non-canola advances. By default in... Read More
The federal government is planning to extend the income tax deferral period for livestock producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba who received compensation for animals ordered to be destroyed due to the 2024 and 2025 bovine tuberculosis events. On Friday, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Heath MacDonald, announced that the government intends to propose... Read More
The Canadian government has committed to developing a "National Agricultural Soil Health Strategy" together with the Soil Conservation Council of Canada (SCCC). Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald joined Senator Rob Black and SCCC representatives to announce the development of the strategy on Parliament Hill on Thursday. “Healthy soils are the foundation of a strong and sustainable... Read More
The New Democratic Party’s bid to regain national relevance and official party status will reach a pivotal moment this weekend as the new NDP leader will be chosen at the party's convention in Winnipeg. The party hit its high-water mark 15 years ago, winning 103 seats and 31 per cent of the vote to finish... Read More
Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to rattle fertilizer markets, creating both price volatility and supply concerns for Ontario grain farmers heading into spring. At the Grain Farmers of Ontario March Classic in Niagara Falls, Gus Ternoey, GFO executive committee member, says the U.S.- Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz... Read More
Geopolitical drama and policy uncertainty are once again driving volatility across commodity markets, leaving farmers to interpret fast-moving signals that don’t always tell the full story. To unpack how to navigate war-influenced markets Shaun Haney speaks with Arlan Suderman of StoneX to discuss how global conflict, biofuel policy, and trade dynamics are shaping grain and... Read More
Kraft Heinz is the latest multinational food company to announce a major capital investment in processing capacity in Canada. The company unveiled plans to spend $250 million to upgrade and modernize its Mont Royal factory in Montreal on Friday. “This investment underscores our more than 120-year-old commitment to Canada and producing the foods Canadians love... Read More
For decades, public agricultural research in Canada helped build the sector we know today. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s network of research centres, satellite farms and labs, along with provincial institutions and universities, underpinned much of the innovation that farmers now see as standard: canola’s development, better forage and livestock systems, improved disease and pest management,... Read More
Agriculture is often framed as an economic driver, but Alison Sunstrum says that Canada should treat it as something far more strategic: national security. In this conversation on the Ag Policy Connection podcast with co-hosts Tyler McCann and Elise Bigley of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI), Sunstrum—CEO of ConserveX, managing partner at NYA Ventures,... Read More