Food insecurity numbers in Canada have reached astonishing levels. According to the latest Who’s Hungry report from Daily Bread and North York Harvest food banks, the number of people depending on food banks in Toronto has doubled compared to the previous year, with one out of every 10 individuals relying on them. Food bank use […] Read more
Stories by Sylvain Charlebois
Russia’s cancellation of grain deal sparks food security fears
Russia’s recent decision to terminate the Black Sea grain agreement, which had facilitated the shipment of large amounts of Ukrainian grain to 45 countries, has once again raised global food security concerns. The war between Russia and Ukraine, which started in February 2022, has put nearly half of Ukraine’s food exports, primarily destined for developing […] Read more
Grocery sector needs competition
The Competition Bureau’s call for increased competition in the Canadian grocery sector is stating the obvious. Canada is home to numerous oligopolies that dominate various industries. For example, five major players in the grocery sector control nearly 80 percent of the food retail market. While some oligopolies function more effectively, their success depends on the […] Read more
Farmers partner with land investors
The increase in farmland value in Canada has been spectacular. The value per acre has skyrocketed by 334 percent since 2001, but most of the increases have occurred within the last few years. Since 2016, the increase has been 213 percent. According to Statistics Canada, the average acre in Canada is now worth almost $3,800, […] Read more
Grocer code of conduct welcomed
A grocer code of conduct is coming to Canada. The United Kingdom and Australia, where grocer oligopolies exist, have a similar code already. This is great news for consumers; in fact, it should be considered a minor miracle. It all started in 2020 when Michael Medline, Sobeys’ big boss, told the Empire Club in Toronto […] Read more
Ottawa tone deaf to farmers’ issues
Ottawa recently announced that tariff revenues received from Canadian farmers who bought Russian-Belarusian fertilizers this year are being sent to Ukraine to rebuild infrastructure. Canada was the only G7 country to put tariffs on Russian and/or Belarusian fertilizer after Russia invaded Ukraine in March. Of the $115 million sent to Ukraine, $34 million were collected […] Read more
‘Save the planet’ politicizes proteins
During the recent provincial election campaign in Quebec, one political party proposed a protein shift in public cafeterias and institutions by offering a menu made up of 50 percent plant-based protein meals. In the same vein, the party also suggested that 70 percent of food products served in public institutions be local. Local is certainly […] Read more
Food price study must cast wide net
With the hype caused by the scandal at Hockey Canada, few noticed earlier this month that Ottawa decided to investigate food prices and the alleged abuse by large grocery chains. The House of Commons agriculture committee will examine the problem in the coming weeks. We must first welcome Ottawa’s decision. Even though Canada currently has […] Read more
Food inflation tightens grip in Canada
While inflation is showing signs of dissipating, food inflation appears to be on a totally different path. Food inflation has outpaced our general inflation rate for more than 12 months. Statistics Canada just announced that the food inflation rate for retail was 10.8 percent and 7.4 percent in food service. Canada ranks third among the […] Read more
Farming is losing to misguided urban politics
Interest groups are weaponizing science to support a narrative that fits their biased view of what farmers should and shouldn’t do
Most Canadians have never been on a farm, let alone lived on one, which makes more than 98 percent of our population agriculturally illiterate. For many Canadians, crop production is an unknown concept. Because of this, it’s relatively easy to use fear to influence public opinion on any food-related issue involving agriculture. Our great rural-urban […] Read more
