Reading Time: < 1 minute Rural communities in many parts of the Prairies have joined the effort to alleviate the plight of refugees escaping war-torn Syria. Small Manitoba towns such as Altona, Winkler and Morden are doing their part to make room by welcoming seven Syrian families – a total of 45 people – into their communities. The area has a […] Read more
VIDEO: Resettling refugee families in rural Manitoba
Lawrence MacAulay sworn in as Canada’s new agriculture minister
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ottawa/Manitoba Co-operator – Only hours after being sworn in by Governor General David Johnston and mere minutes after leaving his first cabinet meeting, Canada’s newly minted Minister of Agriculture paused to speak with reporters gathered on Parliament Hill Nov. 3. “I’m certainly pleased,” said Lawrence MacAulay. “Being a dairy farmer and a seed potato farmer […] Read more
TPP not the death of supply management, N.Z. trade chief says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Hamilton, N.Z. | MCO — Canada’s supply-managed sectors should not worry about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, from where New Zealand’s Trade Minister Tim Groser sits. “I can understand why producer groups would wish to perceive this in a different way, but this is not the end of supply management,” he said here Thursday. “I don’t think […] Read more
VanRaes: TPP deal seen shrinking supply-managed markets
Reading Time: 4 minutes CORRECTION, Oct. 7: Canada’s supply managed sectors can expect to lose $4.3 billion to foreign interests in the 15 years following the implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. After years of negotiations, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the U.S. and Vietnam reached an agreement Monday morning, which includes granting access […] Read more
Canada will not negotiate TPP in public: Ritz
Canada also paying attention to U.S. subsidy programs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s agriculture minister says Canada won’t negotiate in public when it comes to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the proposed wide-ranging free trade agreement among a group of Pacific Rim countries. Responding to questions at an unrelated event in Winnipeg last week, Agriculture and Agri-food Minister Gerry Ritz said Canada has put forward strong proposals […] Read more
Look to crop insurance first: Ritz
Reading Time: 2 minutes While many crops across Western Canada are withering under intensifying drought, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says ad hoc programs are not the answer should producers require assistance. However, tax deferral will be available for affected ranchers. “We don’t need ad hoc (assistance), we’ve got a very comprehensive system of business risk management,” said Gerry Ritz, speaking […] Read more
Transportation review recommendations
Ritz says shippers should be able to charge for cars not delivered on time
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg — Ongoing assessment of the grain transportation system and better protection for small shippers are two of the eight recommendations made by the Crop Logistics Working Group (CLWG). They will now be submitted to the Canada Transportation Act Review for consideration. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz was in Winnipeg Monday to announce the findings of […] Read more
Livestock price insurance in works for Manitoba
Reading Time: 2 minutes Price volatility could soon be a thing of the past for Manitoba’s beef producers, if a proposed livestock price insurance program comes to fruition. The provincial government on Tuesday pledged such a plan in the speech from the throne by Lt.-Gov. Philip Lee. “Building on the recent introduction of forage insurance, in the year ahead […] Read more
Manitoba prosecutors to review 2012 hog barn case
Reading Time: 2 minutes Manitoba’s Chief Veterinary Office has completed its investigation of a hog barn in the province’s south-central region where 1,300 young pigs were euthanized last fall. “The investigation has concluded and the file has been referred to the Crown prosecutor to determine if charges should be laid,” said a spokeswoman with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural […] Read more
Flood mitigation pledged on Lake Manitoba
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Manitoba government has committed $250 million to the building of two permanent outlet channels to prevent future flooding on Lake Manitoba. Premier Greg Selinger made the announcement in Winnipeg on Wednesday, indicating construction could begin within three years. “We’re going to do all the studies, get the ball rolling on this,” said Selinger. “It’s […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
