Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa's pandering to domestic EV industry sacrifices Canadian canola growers to Chinese trade whims.
Ottawa charging ahead: forget canola
Ottawa’s pandering to domestic EV industry sacrifices Canadian canola growers
Opinion: Food sales mirror Canada’s impoverishment
Our population is growing much faster than our GDP and food spending is falling
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada appears to be a “trading-down” market, a trend that may persist for some time. Recent data from Statistics Canada on the food retail and service industries, as well as fresh GDP figures, paint a concerning picture, especially for those looking to attract more food companies or grocers to our country. Our population grew by […] Read more
Opinion: The emerging consensus on food prices
Why all political parties agree that the grocer code of conduct is necessary
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Parliamentary Agriculture Committee has embarked on a mission to address rising food prices, extending an invitation to both Loblaw and Walmart. In a letter from the committee, Ottawa urges both retailers to voluntarily comply with the proposed grocer’s code of conduct or risk facing legislative action. In other words, Canada is on the verge […] Read more
Bill C-282 is an awful idea
Bill risks holding other economic sectors hostage to safeguard the interests of a small, privileged group of farmers
Reading Time: 3 minutes Bill C-282 sits in the Canadian Senate and stands on the precipice of becoming law in a matter of weeks. Essentially, this bill seeks to bestow immunity upon supply management from any potential future trade negotiations, without offering increased market access to potential trade partners. In simpler terms, it risks holding all other economic sectors […] Read more
How industry neglect fueled a US$2.2 billion verdict
The agriculture sector cannot afford to bobble the gene editing ball as it did with glyphosate
Reading Time: 2 minutes Bayer AG’s Monsanto has been ordered to pay a staggering US$2.2 billion to a former Roundup user who linked his cancer to the herbicide. This significant sum is the largest verdict in the ongoing five-year litigation involving the weed killer. However, the legal battles are far from over. There are still more than 50,000 cases […] Read more
Loblaw’s gaffe and apology
The grocers code of conduct is needed to offset political grandstanding
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa recently witnessed a dramatic scene, especially during the proceedings of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, where a few witnesses chose to prioritize their agendas over assisting our elected officials in comprehending the complexities of food prices and the necessary actions to be taken. One particular individual, an economist seemingly more interested in grabbing headlines […] Read more
Opinion: Sticker shock on grocery profits hides truth
The total number doesn’t look at profit margins, which paint a clearer picture
Reading Time: 3 minutes When it comes to selecting the most significant non-scandal of 2023, the “greedflation” campaign is the absolute winner. Politicians, and even some knowledgeable economists, have convinced many that Canadian grocers have taken advantage of the recent inflationary cycle to profit unfairly. Despite compelling data and many reports pointing to the contrary, many Canadians remain convinced […] Read more
Opinion: Let’s give the grocery theatrics a rest in 2024
Grocers made convenient punching bags, but that’s not how solutions are found
Reading Time: 2 minutes In an era when food inflation has become a contentious political issue, it’s tempting for politicians to target the grocery industry. Sadly, that’s exactly what transpired in our country this year, and it was both absurd and embarrassing. The government and Parliament relentlessly hounded grocers, drowning out the opportunity for Canadians to truly comprehend the […] Read more
Opinion: Avian influenza is a threat that’s flying under the radar
The response has been strong, but this outbreak has caused massive losses and poses an ongoing threat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Avian flu deserves more media attention. The illness affecting our poultry sector has become a real problem. Unlike previous strains, H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza has spread across the country, raising fears that it could become endemic in wild birds, no less. A nightmare. This year alone, avian flu has infected approximately 200 farms with […] Read more
Consumers are dissatisfied — and that’s why farmers’ markets are booming
More and more people are distrustful of big corporations, and farmers’ markets offer ‘food authenticity’ the big chains can’t match
Reading Time: 3 minutes As the warm weather winds down, farmers’ markets around the country are looking at yet another record season. Despite substantial food price increases in recent years, these operations, which typically sell food at a higher price, have generated more than $700 million in revenues this year in Ontario alone, and plans to open more are […] Read more
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