Reuters — Hurricane Fiona is headed toward Eastern Canada and is expected to reach its Atlantic region by Friday in what could be a severe weather event as the storm continues to gain strength, Canadian meteorologists said Wednesday. Fiona powered up to a Category 4 storm on Wednesday, packing winds as high as 215 km/h, […] Read more
Atlantic Canada on Hurricane Fiona’s path, broad impact expected
Parts of Nova Scotia more vulnerable to flooding
Quebec’s UPA hit by ransomware attack
Farm organization, affiliate bodies affected
Quebec’s overarching farmer organization, l’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA), has confirmed its computer systems were hit by a ransomware attack earlier this month. UPA, in a release last Thursday, said it’s working with a cybersecurity firm to analyze the nature and scope of the attack, as well as any possible solutions to securely restore its […] Read more
Agropur cheese plant workers take deal, halt strike
Milk not taken at Granby, Que. plant for over five weeks
Milk delivery to a major cheese plant in Eastern Canada is expected to resume soon as unionized employees at dairy co-operative Agropur’s facility at Granby, Que. end a five-and-a-half-week strike. The plant’s 250-odd workers, represented by the Syndicat des salaries de la fromagerie — an arm of Centrale des syndicats democratiques (CSD) — have voted […] Read more
Direct compensation for fertilizer tariffs not on table
Eastern farm groups call for help ahead of fall seeding
Farmers in Eastern Canada who rely on imports of Russian-made fertilizers aren’t going to see direct compensation for the federal government’s general tariff on those products. A clutch of farmer and ag industry groups on July 15 put forward a new request to Ottawa for compensation to farmers “negatively impacted” by a 35 per cent […] Read more
StatCan trims Canadian corn, soy acreage estimates
Grain corn acreage still expected up from 2021 level
New Statistics Canada projections show the country’s grain corn and soybean growers have slightly curbed their enthusiasm for those crops compared to their intentions earlier in the year. StatCan on Tuesday released the results of its 2022 June field crop survey, conducted between May 13 and June 12, projecting Canadian corn area at 3.633 million […] Read more
Avian flu hits flocks in Quebec, another in Ontario
Eleven control zones now in place in Ontario, six in Alberta
Avian influenza has been confirmed at two sites in Quebec and another in Ontario, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Wednesday. CFIA said it had quarantined two premises in Quebec after confirming an H5 type of avian flu in birds on a commercial poultry farm on Tuesday in the regional municipality (RCM) of Val-Saint-Francois, just […] Read more
Top court affirms hefty fine for man behind Quebec maple syrup heist
Back to prison if fine not paid in 10 years
Reuters — The man behind a decade-old maple syrup heist in Quebec will have to pay a $9 million fine, Canada’s top court said on Thursday, upholding an earlier ruling by a lower court. A group of people in Quebec siphoned off maple syrup worth over $18 million from a reservoir and replaced it with […] Read more
Quebec group seeks to sue beef packers over pricing
Group's class-action application alleges price-fixing dating back to 2015
A Quebec consumer protection group intends to launch a class action lawsuit against four major beef processors in Canada and the U.S., alleging a “meat pricing conspiracy.” “At a time of high inflation, it is unacceptable to make the price of beef even more expensive than it already is,” Sylvie De Bellefeuille, a lawyer for […] Read more
GM ramps up EV push with plans to make battery materials in Canada
Automaker and BASF both plan CAM plants at Becancour
Reuters — General Motors and South Korea’s POSCO Chemical will build a $400 million facility to produce battery materials in Canada as the carmaker ramps up plans to produce mainly electric vehicles (EVs) in the future, the companies said Monday. The plant will produce cathode active material (CAM) for vehicle batteries at Becancour, Que. Cathodes […] Read more
B.C. floods may tighten market for real Christmas trees
'We're basically shut down until the water recedes'
Ottawa | Reuters — Finding the perfect real Christmas tree will be harder and more expensive this year. Canada, the world’s top exporter of natural Christmas trees, is grappling with a shortage that will likely be exacerbated by historic flooding in British Columbia, where some tree farms are underwater. A phenomenon known as an atmospheric […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
