Alberta is set to gradually pull its $8 million in annual funding from the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and instead expand the vet school at the University of Calgary. The province announced Thursday it will expand enrolment for the University of Calgary’s Veterinary Medicine program (UCVM) from 130 students currently […] Read more
Alberta to reallocate veterinary school funding
Metro plans automated distribution for Ontario
One of Canada’s biggest grocery chains plans to build new hubs to distribute both fresh and frozen foods to its Ontario stores. Quebec-based Metro Inc. said Wednesday it expects to put up $400 million to modernize and automate its Toronto operations between 2018 and 2023, building two new facilities for fresh and frozen food distribution […] Read more
New tool to help Alberta food processors
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Business Assessment and Action Tool resource is now available. The resource was developed for Alberta processors to help them incorporate global best practices, find opportunities for further improvement, and leverage programs and opportunities provided by the province and Growing Forward 2 programs. The first step to using the resource is to contact a development […] Read more
Trudeau to tell Trump: We’re not your problem at NAFTA
Ottawa | Reuters — When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets President Donald Trump on Wednesday, he will try to persuade the U.S. leader to focus on Mexico as a source of potential problems at talks to update NAFTA. Although Trudeau officials were confident Trump would mostly target Mexico as the three nations started to […] Read more
Farmers need to be ‘heroes’ to win over consumers
People respond to powerful stories centred around people they can admire, says Monsanto official
Reading Time: 3 minutes Producing food isn’t enough these days — you’ve got to be a hero, too. That was one of the messages delivered at the recent Public Trust Summit put on by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity. The conference, in its second year, attracted a diverse crowd of farmers, food processors, retailers, communications experts, and even […] Read more
Global study finds trace neonics in much of world’s honey
A study by Swiss scientists has found trace levels of at least one neonicotinoid pesticide in three-quarters of the honey samples it collected from around the world. The study, spearheaded by a team from Switzerland’s Universite de Neuchatel and published in Friday’s edition of the journal Science, was meant to assess “global exposure of pollinators […] Read more
Cattle producers urged to get premises identification number
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Cattle Identification Agency is urging Alberta livestock producers to prepare for new livestock traceability regulations that once enacted will require them to have a valid, premises identification (PID) number. A producer can call Alberta’s PID registry at 310-FARM with a legal land description to confirm or acquire a PID, or contact a field […] Read more
Metro to buy Jean Coutu to stave off looming risks
Toronto | Reuters — Metro Inc., Canada’s third-biggest food retailer, on Monday agreed to buy pharmacy chain Jean Coutu Group for $4.5 billion in cash and stock, paying what analysts said was a “steep” premium to protect against risks facing the retail sector. The deal comes at time when global retail giants like Amazon.com, Wal-Mart […] Read more
Injured, dead wild turkeys now reportable in Quebec
To track wild turkey populations and their effects on farms and rural areas, the Quebec government will now require that dead or injured wild turkeys be reported. The province on Friday announced it has added wild turkey to its regulatory list of notifiable animals, which requires that a finding of any dead or injured animal […] Read more
Trout station does the release, and anglers do the catching
Raven Brood Trout Station is nearly a century old and busier than ever making sure Alberta anglers are happy
Reading Time: 3 minutes Raven Brood Trout Station is an important community resource that few people know about. “The main reason my hatchery is here is because in Alberta, we have a mountain of fishing effort and a mountain of fishing pressure and you have a tiny little resource,” said fisheries technician Brian Charles. The business of ‘hens’ and […] Read more
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