Drew Spoelstra has been re-elected to a second, one-year term as president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA). The Binbrook, Ont., dairy and crop farmer was chosen to lead the provincial farm lobby at an executive meeting following the conclusion of the organization’s annual convention in Toronto this week. “I appreciate the trust and... Read More
Category: Infrastructure
Picton Terminals and Parrish & Heimbecker Limited have announced plans to build a bulk agricultural marine terminal at Picton Terminals in Ontario's Prince Edward County. The partners say the new terminal will significantly reduce travel time for local farmers, alleviate truck traffic on Highway 401 and enhance the overall efficiency of the agricultural supply chain.... Read More
Trade between countries is so much more than railways and ports, but if it can't move, it can't be sold. Canada is an export nation, but currently ranks just ahead of Azerbaijan according to the World Economic Forum's rankings on infrastructure, transport infrastructure and trade infrastructure, says Carlo Dade, vice-president of Canada West Foundation. A... Read More
Global need, market prices, and implications from the pandemic have all demonstrated the benefits of bolstering local agriculture infrastructure, something that Alberta NDP ag critic, Heather Sweet, says the province needs to play catch up on. When comparing the Prairie Provinces, Alberta is showing far less traction with breaking ground on new value-added processing than... Read More
If there's a terrible traffic jam, and you're trying to get delivery of goods to the other side, is it smarter to send more trucks or to solve the traffic jam first? It's a simple metaphor, and one that works well for framing a discussion on addressing infrastructure challenges — there's no point trying to... Read More
Today, the Government of Canada published the Clean Fuel Regulations (CFR), which is to replace the previously existing Renewable Fuels Regulations. The new regulations focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The CFR set increasingly stringent requirements on producers and importers to reduce the carbon intensity of gasoline and diesel, according to a recent news... Read More
Over the past few years the phrase "unprecedented times" has been used often and for good reason. There has been a continual domino effect of global events that has put a unique strain on many things, especially global trade. The result is that change isn't coming — it's here. As a country, Canada needs to... Read More
2021 has been a tough weather year. From prolonged drought and excessive heat, to the flooding witnessed in recent weeks in British Columbia — weather disasters have had a tremendous impact on Canadian farms and agriculture businesses. Erik Davies, from Barefoot Consulting, has spent his career working on disaster recovery and risk management issues. Last... Read More
For the second consecutive year, Thunder Bay, Ont. dairy farmer Peggy Brekveld will lead the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the province's largest general farm organization. Brekveld was elected president by OFA's board of directors after the conclusion of the organization's annual general meeting on Monday, Nov. 22. Mark Reusser and Drew Spoelstra were re-elected as... Read More
Trains could be rolling again on CP Rail tracks through southern B.C. as soon as the middle of this coming week, barring any unforeseen issues, according to the railway. Both CP and CN Rail's critical main lines that connect the Port of Vancouver to rest of Canada have been closed due to damage from flooding... Read More