With about a year left before a provincial election, Premier Doug Ford is shuffling his cabinet to replace MPPs who have resigned, those that aren’t running again, and changing the roles of others. Of particular note, current Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Ernie Hardeman has been replaced by MPP Lisa Thompson, who… Read More
Tag: Ernie Hardeman
4-H Ontario will receive $700,000 per year for the next two years to support the growth of the province’s next generation of agri-food leaders, thanks to a grant from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP). The organization will use the grant to develop educational content and first-hand learning experiences to “inspire the next generation to explore exciting… Read More
The Ontario government is providing $10 million to allow more farmers and agri-food operators to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE), enhance cleaning and disinfection measures, and redesign workstations to better protect workers. Under the new Enhanced Agri-Food Workplace Protection Program (EAWPP), farms and agri-food businesses that hire three or more employees will be eligible for… Read More
The Government of Ontario released its provincial budget Wednesday, with a big spend on internet and broadband expansion for the province, including rural areas. The announcement of $2.8 billion for expanded broadband will bring the total that Ontario has committed to broadband expansion over $4 billion, with a commitment to connect the entire province by… Read More
Updated story: Details of the program are now listed on Agricorp’s website The governments of Canada and Ontario have committed $5 million in immediate, emergency assistance for the province’s beef farmers through funding for feeding costs associated with market-ready cattle that must be set-aside due to COVID-19-related processing disruptions. Last Thursday, Cargill’s Better Beef plant… Read More
The federal government is providing immediate relief for temporary foreign workers that are stranded in Ontario. “Approximately 400 farm workers from Trinidad and Tobago who came to work in Ontario under the federal Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program, are currently unable to return home as they haven’t received COVID-19 travel exemptions from their home country,” says… Read More
We’ve got a great RealAg Radio show for you today. You’ll hear from: Bill Greuel, CEO of Protein Industries Canada, in a clip from yesterday’s LIVE!; Minister Ernie Hardeman, on how the latest BRM reform proposal will affect Ontario farmers, and what’s next; and, The top ag news stories of the day with your host… Read More
The virtual Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) agriculture ministers meeting recently concluded with a press conference featuring Ontario agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman and Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Marie Claude Bibeau. Hardeman made the collective provincial position clear that all ministers would go back home and review the “last minute” federal proposal. RealAgriculture’s Shaun Haney chatted with Minister… Read More
The federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) meeting concluded last week with a press conference hosted by Ontario’s Ag Minister, Ernie Hardeman, and the federal minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie Claude Bibeau. At the meeting, Bibeau presented the federal government’s offer to fund changes to AgriStability — but, according to the provinces, it was the first time they’d… Read More
Despite pressure from national farm groups and a willingness from the federal government to increase its contribution, agriculture ministers from across the country were once again unable to reach a deal on improvements to business risk management programs before the conclusion of their annual meeting on Friday. Improvements to AgriStability were the focus for the… Read More
Ontario meat processors and farmers have the opportunity to apply for funding under two new program intakes of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative is an up to $4 million program that will provide up to $150,000 per project for improvements to product handling and processing equipment. It will also cover… Read More
Three of Ontario’s ministries (Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Health; and Labour, Training and Skills Development) have committed to a strategy to prevent COVID-19 transmission, and protect workers and the province’s food supply chain ahead of next year’s growing season. The joint government-industry Prevention, Control and Outbreak Support Strategy for COVID-19 in Ontario’s Farm Workers… Read More
Doug Ford’s provincial government has revealed its next budget, a process that was interrupted for several months by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a very large budget — $187 billion — with a projected record-breaking deficit $38.5 billion. Budget spending revolves around current and possibly on-going pandemic disruption for several years, and is split into three… Read More
The federal government has stepped in to top up provincial funding for workplace health and safety measures on-farm in Ontario. Agriculture and Agri-Food minister Marie-Claude Bibeau previously announced $35 million for a federally-administered program, and this week, announced $11.6 million for the Ontario version — the Enhanced Agri-food Workplace Protection Program (EAWPP). Originally announced in… Read More
Ontario’s provincial government, along with the federal government, has announced funding for several projects that will support labour and training needs in the farming sector. This includes $180,000 towards the development of a new college program that will provide education and training in the latest agricultural equipment. “Helping to meet the labour and training needs… Read More