Reading Time: 2 minutes One of Eastern Canada’s major players in the grocery sector is in “advanced discussions” to take up one of the region’s major drugstore chains. Montreal-based Metro Inc. announced Tuesday it’s in “exclusive” talks with the Jean Coutu Group on the possibilities of a cash-and-stock takeover valued in some reports at around $4.5 billion. A non-binding […] Read more
Metro in ‘advanced’ talks to buy Jean Coutu chain
Alberta wheat, barley groups test merged management
Reading Time: 2 minutes Already sharing an office and support staff, the Alberta Wheat Commission and Alberta Barley are taking the next step by sharing a manager. The two grower commissions announced Wednesday that the AWC’s general manager Tom Steve will now serve also as Alberta Barley’s general manager, replacing Rob Davies. With Steve on board, the two commissions’ […] Read more
FMC deal for DuPont assets wins clearances
Reading Time: < 1 minute The chemical company set to take up a significant chunk of DuPont’s crop protection work in Canada has picked up the last of the regulatory clearances it needs to close the deal. Philadelphia-based FMC Corp. announced Thursday it received the final approval needed, from the Competition Commission of India, to close the deal the company […] Read more
Deal off for Imvescor’s veggie meals business
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Montreal parent firm for the Pizza Delight, Baton Rouge, Toujours Mikes and Scores restaurant chains will be hanging onto its prepared meals business for now. Imvescor Restaurant Group announced Friday it has terminated a deal it announced back in March to sell its Groupe Commensal subsidiary to an arm of processor Pasta Romana Foods […] Read more
Independent ag retailers team up for group buying
Reading Time: 2 minutes Over a dozen “indie” farm input retailers on the Prairies plan to centralize their purchasing using a model developed by Australians in the same line of work. The group of 14 independent Prairie ag input dealers on Sept. 15 announced a new organization, AgLink Canada, a buying group formed “in response to the growing global […] Read more
Prairie canola, soy now in Cargill ProPricing portfolio
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canola and soybean growers in Western Canada are now able to get in on Cargill’s ProPricing grain marketing program for the 2017-18 season. The U.S. agrifood company’s Winnipeg-based Canadian arm announced Sept. 14 it would offer its first-ever canola contract in its ProPricing portfolio, allowing eligible growers to hand off a portion of their canola […] Read more
Post-secondary cannabis credentials on offer
Reading Time: 2 minutes Degree and diploma aggies interested in producing commercial cannabis and/or hemp will be able to get college-certified starting next year. Niagara College announced Tuesday it will launch a graduate certificate program in commercial cannabis production in 2018, a program it bills as Canada’s “first post-secondary credential” in the crop’s production. Niagara picked up approval this […] Read more
Manitoba NDP names new ag critic
Reading Time: < 1 minute Manitoba’s former education minister has been pressed into service as the new agriculture critic for the provincial legislature’s official opposition. Wab Kinew, who was elected Saturday as the leader of the opposition New Democrats, on Thursday named James Allum, the MLA for the Winnipeg riding of Fort Garry-Riverview, as the critic for agriculture. Allum will […] Read more
U.S. organic grain firm buys Saskatchewan elevators
Reading Time: 2 minutes A Minneapolis-based startup focused on non-GMO and organic grains has bought itself elevator space to source those crops out of southern Saskatchewan. Pipeline Foods on Wednesday announced it has bought small elevators at Wapella, about 130 km south of Yorkton, and at Gull Lake, about 50 km southwest of Swift Current, for an undisclosed sum. […] Read more
Partially hydrogenated oils on the way out
Reading Time: 2 minutes The federal government has served a year’s notice on partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) as ingredients in foods sold in Canada. Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor announced Friday that PHOs will be added to Canada’s List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances effective Sept. 15, 2018, giving Canadian food processors and importers “enough time to find […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
