Reading Time: 3 minutes Canada’s big two railways can resume moving grain at their own pace as the federal government’s order in council setting mandatory minimum grain traffic quotas is set to expire unrenewed. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced the federal government won’t renew the mandatory minimums, which are due to expire Saturday. The […] Read more
Railways’ mandatory minimum grain handles ending
Last of avian flu quarantines lifted in B.C.
Reading Time: 2 minutes The quarantine has been lifted at the last of the 13 farms in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley known to have been infected with highly-pathogenic avian flu. The farm, a 53,000-bird table egg layer operation at Langley, B.C., was confirmed Dec. 13 with high-path H5N2 avian flu. At the end of a 21-day waiting period following […] Read more
Veterinarian and P.E.I. ag minister Bud Ings, 89
Reading Time: 2 minutes Memorial services were held Friday in Montague, P.E.I. for Dr. Bud Ings, a “pioneer” of veterinary medicine who served as the province’s agriculture minister in the 1970s and later supported the development of the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC). Ings, who died last Friday at Montague’s Kings County Memorial Hospital at age 89, “worked tirelessly to […] Read more
SW Ont. pork plant to morph into turkey processor
Reading Time: 2 minutes The vacant pork slaughterhouse formerly known as Great Lakes Specialty Meats is now expected to restart as a turkey processing plant by year’s end. Meat processor Sofina Foods bought the 78,000-square foot plant and property at Mitchell, Ont., about 60 km west of Kitchener, for $4.77 million last September, after Great Lakes entered receivership in June. […] Read more
Alta. cuts ag spending slightly, boosts fuel tax
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alberta’s bid to stabilize its public-sector revenue and spending will include slight cuts to its farm programs budget, plus an increase in provincial fuel tax from which farmers won’t be exempt. Finance Minister Robin Campbell on Thursday released a 2015-16 budget that pegs expenses for Alberta’s agriculture and rural development department at $931 million, down […] Read more
Quebec ag spending trimmed, tax credits boosted
Reading Time: 3 minutes Quebec’s farming sector can expect a noticeable cut in program spending and a handful of tax credits and tax relief coming out of Thursday’s provincial budget. Finance Minister Carlos Leitao on Thursday announced a cut of about 15 per cent in program spending for the agriculture, food and fisheries ministry through the province’s general fund, […] Read more
New agency to handle Sask. animal welfare enforcement
Reading Time: < 1 minute Saskatchewan’s animal protection officers will start Wednesday with a new not-for-profit agency handling animal welfare enforcement work in the province. The provincial agriculture department on Thursday announced a two-year, $610,000-per-year agreement to fund investigative services provided by Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan, effective April 1. A new toll-free phone number, 1-844-382-0002, will be in place […] Read more
Ontario Farmer newspaper cleared for sale
Reading Time: 2 minutes Long-running weekly agricultural journal Ontario Farmer is expected to be under new ownership within weeks as federal regulators have cleared its sale. The federal Competition Bureau on Wednesday issued a “no-action” letter for Sun Media’s planned sale of its 175 English-language specialty titles and daily and weekly newspapers to Postmedia for about $316 million. Ontario […] Read more
CNH to cut, lay off staff in Saskatoon
Reading Time: < 1 minute Under pressure from “market conditions,” farm equipment giant CNH plans both job cuts and layoffs at its Flexi-Coil seeding and tillage equipment plant in Saskatoon. CNH Industrial said in a statement it will begin cutting 75 full-time positions at the plant in May. Employees were informed Monday of the coming cuts, the company said. Another […] Read more
Canada Bread to shut Ben’s Bakery
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian arm of Mexican baked goods giant Grupo Bimbo plans to wind down its Ben’s Bakery operations in Halifax starting this summer and close its plant in November. Canada Bread said Monday the sliced bread and English muffins made at its Halifax plant “can be produced at other bakeries in Atlantic Canada where there […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
