Canadian National Railway announced March 18 it will spend $245 million on Saskatchewan rail infrastructure this year. Plans include construction of double track at four locations: 16 kilometres near Atwater, east of Melville; 16 km near Fenwood, west of Melville; 12 km near Biggar and 11 km near Clavet. The company also intends to replace […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Federal government vows to review Canada Grain Act
The industry welcomes the federal government’s decision to review the Canada Grain Act and Canadian Grain Commission operations but doesn’t expect change any time soon. With the House of Commons rising in June and the next election set for this fall, there is no chance a review and legislative change could take place before then. […] Read more
Irrigation transfer completed in Sask.
The Saskatchewan government and four irrigation districts have completed asset transfers and agreed to infrastructure funding arrangements. The deal moves about 90 percent of provincial irrigation assets into the hands of the district irrigators, said deputy agriculture minister Rick Burton. The transfer has been contentious at times because irrigators said they didn’t want assets that […] Read more
Cardlock fuel wins carbon tax exemption
Farm fuel purchased at cardlocks will be exempt from the federal carbon tax when it comes into force April 1. Draft regulations released in the March 19 federal budget included a provision for the exemption, but with a 30-day comment period. That led to some confusion as to when exactly the exemption would be in […] Read more
Tension with China also worries flax
China buys a lot of Canadian flax, and an analyst says farmers can’t afford to lose market share to political issues
Canada’s concerns about sales to China go beyond canola, says market analyst Marlene Boersch. More than half of Canadian flax exports so far this year have gone to China, and Boersch said farmers can’t afford to lose market share to political issues. China can source most crops, including flax, from other suppliers. “It is possible […] Read moreNew ag minister takes road trip
Marie-Claude Bibeau says she knows the West’s issues are very different from those experienced in her home province of Quebec
Marie-Claude Bibeau headed west on her first trip as Canada’s agriculture minister earlier this month, stopping in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba to emphasize her commitment to all sectors. She said she knows the issues in the West are largely different than in her home province. “In terms of coming from Quebec, making my first […] Read morePlant protein move part of virtuous consumption trend
OTTAWA — If 2018 was the year of disruption, 2019 is about shifting behaviour, says a trends report from Nourish Marketing. Andreas Duess, a partner in the Toronto firm, told the Canadian Federation of Agriculture that observers are watching shifts in all types of behaviour related to agriculture and food. For example, there is a […] Read more
Trade committee to call ministers on canola
The federal agriculture and trade ministers will appear at hearing to talk about China’s restrictions of canola exports
Canada’s ministers of agriculture and international trade are scheduled to appear before a House of Commons committee in early April to address China’s ban on canola imports from Richardson International. The ban has cost farmers $1 billion already through declining prices, the international trade committee heard during an emergency meeting March 17, and some members […] Read moreB.C. triggers AgriStability’s late sign-up
British Columbia has triggered the late participation mechanism for AgriStability. The ability to sign up for AgriStability after registration deadlines was one of the changes made to the program in 2018. Noting that 2018 was extremely challenging for B.C. producers due to production and market losses, the federal and provincial agriculture ministers announced March 11 […] Read more
Sask. budget focuses on health, education and highways
Saskatchewan’s 2019-20 budget contains a slim $34.4 million surplus on no new taxes or tax increases and no increase to the operating debt. Calling it “The Right Balance,” Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said the budget focuses on providing services in health, education, social services and highway safety. “It balances much-needed investments with carefully managed spending […] Read more
