I was recently in Toronto to celebrate the induction of Barry Wilson, our Ottawa correspondent, into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame. Before the big night, however, I spent two days in Ottawa and was delighted to get Wilson’s Tour of Parliament Hill. Impressed as I was by all the statues, it was John Diefenbaker’s […] Read more
Stories by Joanne Paulson
Importance of agriculture finally realized
Potash and oil are traditionally huge in the Saskatchewan economy, but if the government relied on them to make budget this year, it would be a sorry situation. The real class among sectors is agriculture. The province’s mid-year report notes that business investment in such things as housing construction is partly fuelling the economy. The […] Read more
World class show deserves better home
There’s nothing like a nice November downpour to re-mind you to take an umbrella everywhere you go, even in early winter. On the Wednesday of Agribition, it must have rained at least an inch. But I didn’t just need the missing um-brella outside. I needed it inside. Much has been written over the years about […] Read more
World class show deserves better home
There’s nothing like a nice November downpour to re-mind you to take an umbrella everywhere you go, even in early winter. On the Wednesday of Agribition, it must have rained at least an inch. But I didn’t just need the missing um-brella outside. I needed it inside. Much has been written over the years about […] Read more
Good times roll for value-added businesses
We recently published an op- ed by Michael Holden with the Canada West Foundation, who asked why we always talk about diversification when times are bad. Excellent question. We should be talking about it when times are good, when stuff like building buildings and buying machinery is actually affordable. Therefore, points go to the Sask-atchewan […] Read more
Canada will benefit from U.S. recovery
Way back in 2006, all hell was breaking loose in Western Canada’s lumber industry — and not just because of the softwood lumber disagreement with the United States. Big companies like Weyerhaeuser were closing pulp mills and sawmills, while smaller companies struggled mightily with a sagging market. Exports to the U.S., still Canada’s biggest lumber […] Read more
Non-farmers get education at Royal fair
Farmers feed cities. I don’t need to tell you that, but it doesn’t hurt to explain it to urban folks. Farmers Feed Cities (FFC) is an Ontario group out to increase the “understanding of the value that farmers contribute to Ontario’s economic, physical and social health.” I’m sure you’ve noticed a big push from several […] Read more
Don’t ignore rural Prairie’s economic clout
I like to point out on a regular basis why rural Western Canada should not be ignored from investment, policy or economic points of view. Therefore, I greeted with interest a report providing perspectives on just these issues. The Conference Board of Canada released The Economic Contribution of Alberta’s Rural Communities earlier this year. Unfortunately, […] Read more
JBS takeover of XL Foods raises questions
When the news broke last week that Brazilian firm JBS S.A. would take over management of the beleaguered XL Foods plant in Brooks, Alta., one of the first questions that leapt to mind was, what do they know that XL does not? Why would it take a foreign beef slaughtering company to fix the production […] Read more
Communication a rural high-tech headache
I always think I’m funny when demonstrating how I use my cellphone at the cabin. I stand on one foot, lean waaay out to the right, and pretend to scream into the device while precariously perching on the edge of the deck. I admit I’m over-dramatizing the situation somewhat, but not by much. Sometimes, all […] Read more
