Le Botanique, a Brussels-area greenhouse facility repurposed as a cultural centre and live music venue. (CIA.gov)

Belgium breaks deadlock over EU-Canada trade pact

Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — Belgium agreed a deal with its regional parliaments on Thursday to approve a landmark EU-Canada free trade agreement, breaking a deadlock that has blocked the pact for weeks. Prime Minister Charles Michel said the heads of the regions had drawn up an addendum to the agreement that answered their concerns over […] Read more

The main tower of Brussels’ Gothic-style Stadhuis, or city hall. (CIA.gov)

Belgians struggle to agree on text to save CETA

Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters –– Belgian politicians failed to break their deadlock over a planned EU-Canada free trade agreement on Wednesday, but agreed to resume talks on Thursday in a sign they may be nearing a consensus that would keep the deal alive. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), seven years in the making, is backed […] Read more



(Dave Bedard photo)

Revisions in the works for Canada’s Food Guide

Reading Time: 3 minutes Health Canada is planning changes to one of its key policy documents to reflect how Canadians’ diets are generally coming up short in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, milk and milk alternatives. At the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Montreal on Monday, the federal health department launched a 45-day public consultation on changes to Canada’s Food Guide, […] Read more


(Fonterra.com)

China busts gang selling expired dairy products

Reading Time: < 1 minute Shanghai/Wellington | Reuters — Chinese police have arrested 19 people for repackaging and selling expired dairy products originally from New Zealand giant Fonterra Co-Operative Group, a Shanghai regulator said on Monday, the latest food scare to hit the country. The bust, which initially took place in March, uncovered the gang who had cut 276 tons […] Read more

The Stadhuis, or city hall, in Antwerp, Belgium. (CIA.gov)

Belgian internal feud blocks EU-Canada trade deal

Reading Time: 3 minutes Brussels | Reuters — The European Union’s hopes of signing a landmark free trade deal with Canada this week appeared to evaporate on Monday as the Belgian federal government failed to win the consent of French-speaking regional authorities. European Council President Donald Tusk had given Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel until Monday, three days before […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

N.S. communities to get clear powers on runaway livestock

Reading Time: < 1 minute Any community defined as a “municipality” in Nova Scotia will soon be able to act to deal with stray livestock and local fencing problems. The provincial government on Wednesday introduced legislative changes to its Fences and Detention of Stray Livestock Act, to make it easier for municipalities to respond when livestock go wandering. The law […] Read more


Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, shown here earlier this year at the signing conference for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, has walked out of trade talks aimed at salvaging a Canada-EU free trade deal. (New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade via YouTube)

Canada walks out of trade talks with ‘incapable’ EU

Reading Time: 3 minutes Brussels | Reuters — Canada’s trade minister walked out of talks in Belgium on Friday, declaring that the European Union was incapable of sealing a planned transatlantic free trade deal designed to boost growth in both economies. All 28 EU governments support the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), but Belgium cannot give assent without […] Read more

(EC.europa.eu)

Belgian region sticks to firm ‘Non’ on CETA

Reading Time: 2 minutes Brussels | Reuters — The Belgian region of Wallonia rejected new amendments to a planned EU-Canada free trade agreement on Thursday, reaffirming its opposition and so threatening the entire deal, a flagship of European Union trade policy. All 28 EU governments support the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), but Belgium cannot give assent without […] Read more