Ottawa | Reuters — Canada will not extend existing broad-based COVID-19 support programs for companies and individuals when they expire on Saturday because the economy is recovering well, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Thursday. Instead, Ottawa will introduce more targeted and less costly measures for hard-hit sectors such as the tourism industry. The new […] Read more
Canada to wind down broad-based COVID aid programs
Feds opt for targeted measures as economy recovers
New federal grain dryer grant program about to launch
Indications are the new $50-million program will look a lot like one launched in Alberta last year
Reading Time: 2 minutes Farmers can start submitting applications this month for a federal program that will cover half of the cost of more energy-efficient grain dryers. Ottawa has set aside $50 million for the so-called “adoption stream” of its $166-million Agricultural Clean Technology Program. Another $10 million will be offered for “powering farms with clean energy and moving off […] Read more
It’s a start but farm groups and governments eye bigger changes to AgriStability
Changes to the federal farm support program get generally favourable reviews, but calls for a better program aren’t going away
Reading Time: 5 minutes Better, but not great. And let’s come up with something that really works. Those two sentiments characterized most of the comments about the recently agreed-to change to AgriStability. And most producers would add ‘still really complicated’ as the decision by Ottawa and the provinces to scrap the ‘reference margin limit’ will impact individual farms in […] Read more
Giving credit where it’s due: New front opens in carbon tax debate
Farmers could benefit greatly from a carbon trading market but the devil will be in the details
Reading Time: 3 minutes A new front has opened up in the carbon tax debate: What sort of reward will farmers get for their stewardship efforts? On March 6, the federal Environment Department — now named Environment and Climate Change Canada — issued a draft of the regulatory framework for its new carbon offset market. This sets the stage […] Read more
Using more canola for biofuels would be a ‘win win’
Canola Council of Canada backs the federal government’s plan to boost the use of green fuels
Reading Time: 2 minutes Part of the federal government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is drawing qualified praise from the Canola Council of Canada. The organization says it “sees potential in the federal government’s proposed rules for the Clean Fuel Standard.” The measure is intended to “reduce the carbon intensity of the fuels” and one of those ways […] Read more
New greening programs planned for ag alongside carbon tax hike
Carbon price to hit $170 per tonne by 2030
A new federal climate plan which further cranks up taxes on carbon emissions also includes pledges of new programs to help sink more carbon into farmland. The government on Friday released the sequel to its 2016 Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change — a “strengthened” climate plan, titled A Healthy Environment and a […] Read more
Grain Growers of Canada lobby Parliament Hill
Agriculture can help restart Canada's economy and the federal government help by addressing some issues, group says
Agriculture can help revitalize Canada’s post-COVID economy, but the federal government should clear the track for it. That means updating regulations to encourage technological innovation, improving market access for agricultural exports and recognizing farm practices that help the environment, Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) says. The organization, which represents 15 regional, provincial and national grain […] Read more
Better rural broadband internet is coming — eventually
Ottawa is pledging $2 billion for fast rural internet, but how that money gets spent is the key question
Reading Time: 7 minutes Ottawa’s pledge to spend $2 billion to bring decent broadband service to rural and remote areas is welcome news, but the devil will be in the details, say officials in Alberta. “I’m encouraged to see the funding, but the full delivery of it is the next question — how will we be able to make […] Read more
Repayment of 2018 cash advances now due
Deadline is September 30
Reading Time: < 1 minute If you took advantage of Ottawa’s extended repayment deadline for cash advances, the time to pay the loan has run out. In March, the deadlines for repayments of 2018 cash advances for grains, oilseeds pulses, cattle and bison were extended to Sept. 30 (from April 30 previously) because of the pandemic. The extensions, which affected […] Read more
Plant-protein processor’s new processing plant gets grant
Feds, province put up cash for new equipment
The federal and Manitoba governments have added a seven-figure contribution to their support for a new facility to process plant proteins from canola and peas. Merit Functional Foods will put the additional money toward “new equipment purchases that will support the transformation of raw inputs into value-added goods.” The unspecified new technology is expected to […] Read more
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