(Staff photo)

Federal food policy consultations underway

The long-discussed-and-debated notion of a public pan-Canadian food policy has taken a move forward with a new online survey from the federal government. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Monday announced an initial round of consultations and called on the public to “share their input to help shape a food policy that will cover the entire

(Dave Bedard photo)

Ontario minimum wage increases concern farmers

Changes to the way labour is regulated and paid for in Ontario will have detrimental effects on farm profitability, say farm organizations. Premier Kathleen Wynne and Labour Minister Kevin Flynn announced the changes this week, outlining the proposed legislation after a review of the acts that govern labour in Ontario was completed. The largest impact



Yonge-Dundas Square, downtown Toronto. (Photo courtesy City of Toronto via Flickr)

Trust in agriculture increases with farm visits: survey

Residents of the Greater Toronto Area who have worked in agriculture or have recently visited a working farm are more likely to be optimistic about job prospects in the agriculture sector. That’s according to a recent survey of 676 residents of the GTA by Grassroots Public Affairs and Delphi Polling and Consulting. The survey highlighted


(Country Guide file photo)

Stats from 2016 show uptick in net farm income

Statistics show slightly lower costs for fertilizer, fuel and cattle and calf purchases in 2016, against higher crop sales and program payments, led to a rise in realized net farm income last year. Statistics Canada on Wednesday released data showing Canadian producers’ realized net farm income — the difference between cash receipts and operating expenses,



(Assnat.qc.ca)

Quebec sets up single line for flooded farmers

Quebec farmers whose operations have been hit by flooding in recent weeks will have a single number to call for provincial support starting Tuesday. The province’s agriculture ministry (MAPAQ), public security ministry (MSP) and ag lending agency, la Financiere agricole du Quebec (FADQ) on Friday announced a “concerted effort” to manage supports for flood-affected farms.



(OntLA.on.ca)

Ontario to add local weight to land use appeal process

Ontario’s Municipal Board (OMB), which handles appeals of land use planning decisions across the province, is set to be replaced with a new Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. The provincial government announced Tuesday it will introduce legislation “in the coming weeks” to replace the Ontario Municipal Board with the new tribunal, “mandated to give greater weight