Canada’s canola industry association has named a new slate of executives and directors coming out of its annual convention last week in Toronto.
Richard Wansbutter, the Winnipeg-based vice-president of government and commercial relations for Regina grain company Viterra, replaces Stewart Gilroy as chairman of the Canola Council of Canada.
“Our focus for the upcoming year is to maintain the momentum in order to reach our 2015 target of 15 million tonnes of sustainable demand and production. That remains a critical priority,” Wansbutter said in the council’s release Monday.
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“Of course, that includes working on our supporting strategies, such as increasing the consumption and value of canola, improving quality, ensuring market access and supporting sustainable production,” said Wansbutter, whose term as chair is for two years.
Ken Stone, general manager of oilseeds processing for the Winnipeg-based Canadian wing of Cargill, becomes the council’s new vice-chair. Dave Parsons, who works out of Calgary as Viterra’s director of international grain, is second vice-chair.
Dauphin, Man. farmer Ernie Sirski, a director with the Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) and a newly appointed Canola Council director, will chair the council’s finance committee.
Garth Hodges of Calgary, the global canola business manager for Bayer CropScience, was also named to the council’s executive committee as a director-at-large.
Other new directors named to the Canola Council include Woody Galloway of Ontario-based Bunge Canada; Vegreville, Alta. farmer Greg Porozni of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission; and Nipawin, Sask. farmer Terry Youzwa of the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SCDC).
Outgoing directors include Ed Rempel (MCGA), Jim Caughlin (SCDC), Doug Hooper (Canadian Bioenergy Corp.) and Herb Schafer (Bunge).
