Despite a call last week from Cairns Group ministers, including Canada, for a renewed push to complete a world trade deal, Canada’s trade minister sees little reason to be optimistic. Peter Van Loan also rejected suggestions from some Cairns countries that this summer’s meeting of G20 leaders in Toronto be used to invigorate the foundering […] Read more
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Minister pessimistic WTO deal reachable
U.S. wrestles with GM question
Robert Kremer, a U.S. government microbiologist who studies midwestern farm soil, has spent two decades analyzing the rich dirt that yields billions of bushels of food each year. Kremer’s lab is housed at the University of Missouri and is in the shadow of Monsanto Auditorium, named after the $11.8 billion-a-year agricultural giant that has accumulated […] Read more
Sask. bus firm sees fewer riders
Fewer people used Saskatchewan’s bus company last year, despite its efforts to attract more riders. Nearly 259,000 customers rode the bus, according to the Saskatchewan Transportation Company’s annual report, down four percent from the previous year. Officials said the decline was at least partly the result of lingering unease following the beheading of a passenger […] Read more
Flax declines less than expected
Western Canadian farmers are cutting back on flax plantings, according to Statistics Canada. But the reduction isn’t as dramatic as many were projecting. “We were initially concerned about quite an extensive drop,” said Linda Braun, executive director of the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission. “But as time goes on and farmers are understanding the situation and […] Read more
Sask. makes slow progress changing weed act
Proposed changes to Saskatchewan’s weed control laws are slowly making their way through the legislative process. The Weed Control Act was introduced last November but still has not made it to the committee stage. The act would replace the Noxious Weeds Act of 1984. Agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud has said the update is long overdue […] Read more
If you test for GM, you’ll find GM, says wheat board CEO
WINNIPEG (Reuters) – Increased testing for GMOs in world wheat supplies will inevitably find them because of contamination from other crops in the grain handling system, says the head of the Canadian Wheat Board. The expected discovery of genetic modified material in wheat highlights the need for the grain industry, governments and export markets to […] Read more
Federal Liberals promise to increase health-care workers in rural Prairies
Federal Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff says his party will use the next election campaign to promise financial incentives for health-care students willing to work in rural Canada. He said a Liberal government would work with provinces to arrange forgiveness of $5,000 in federal student debt per year to a maximum of $20,000 if they make […] Read more
Ag Canada scolded over research
Federal auditor general Sheila Fraser describes Agriculture Canada’s research branch as a bureaucracy adrift – unfocused, underfunded, unprepared for an exodus of aging researchers and watching key research facilities crumble. In an April 20 report to Parliament, Fraser said the department sometimes failed to follow through with funding commitments that private sector collaborators thought had […] Read more
Manitoba government eases proposed restrictions on sewage ejectors
The Manitoba government has backed down from its plans to eliminate sewage ejectors. Last fall, the province introduced regulations requiring homeowners to replace sewage ejectors with a septic field or other waste disposal system when they sold their property. However, the government amended those rules earlier this month and will now allow homeowners to keep […] Read more
Alberta failing on water issue handling: AG
An Alberta auditor general’s report says the province needs to tighten its water management. The April 14 report said Alberta Environment needs to clear a backlog of applications for water licences and ensure holders comply with the terms of the provincial water act. Many of the applications are nearly five years old, admitted Alberta Environment […] Read more
