Aug 14 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Affordable foods and more automated processing are the future. Ottawa—The pandemic will create a massive economic ripple effect through the food system that will make consumers much more price sensitive and processors automating their plants as much as possible, says Dana McCauley of the University of Guelph. There has already been a shift to […]
Aug 13 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Basic income is the solution to food insecurity. Ottawa—A national food policy will be a post-pandemic priority for all levels of government and it should include adding value to Canadian products, says Mike von Massow of the University of Guelph. At the same time, governments must address food security in terms of income and […]
Aug 12 2020 — Mark Goldberg — National Newswatch — The past 6 months have witnessed an unprecedented shift in the consumption of digital connectivity by Canadians whose lives and livelihoods have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Communications services providers have rapidly reconfigured their networks to accommodate the shifts in daytime traffic patterns from business centres to residential neighbourhoods; telecom carriers have extended the […]
Aug 12 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Worker shortages among the biggest problems facing farmers. Ottawa—Foreign workers are essential to food production in Canada and without them, many farms could not properly raise livestock and produce crops, says the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. The CFA statement is aimed at rebutting attacks on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the Seasonal Agricultural […]
Aug 11 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Government needs to intervene to protect fair business practices. Ottawa—Five food processor organizations and two farm groups are roasting grocery retailers for arbitrarily increasing their fees for handling domestic food products. Food and Consumer Products of Canada President Michael Graydon said the fee increases are being imposed unilaterally by some of the large grocery […]
Aug 11 2020 — Glen Pearson — National Newswatch — Communities across Canada are holding their collective breath awaiting the expiration of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). The reason is simple: what comes next is unclear. For significant periods during the pandemic CERB was both a life-saver and an emotional boost in a time of deep concern. It successfully rounded off the harsh edges […]
Aug 10 2020 — Jim Sheppard — National Newswatch — Well, praise the Lord and pass the ammunition. The battle for success in the world of Canadian journalism — which had been looking very bleak — has taken a turn for the better with the acquisition of The Toronto Star by Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett. Why? Unlike other media owners in the country they […]
Aug 7 2020 — Rick Smith — National Newswatch — Trying to find a silver lining in the current COVID crisis is not easy, but there is a growing realization around the world that the place to look is in the transition to a greener economy. The European Union is well out in front on this issue, recently unveiling a 1 trillion euro ($1.57 trillion […]
Aug 7 2020 — Jim Sheppard — National Newswatch — In case anyone missed this important story earlier this week, The New York Times made more money in the latest quarter – in the middle of a pandemic – from digital rather than print. If it’s behind the paywall for any of you, here are the relevant paragraphs: As much of its staff worked remotely, […]
Aug 7 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Robotics and other innovations could make Canada a green food powerhouse. Ottawa—The agrifood sector’s need for technological solutions to its perpetual labour shortages was made clear by COVID-19 and finding solutions needs to be accelerated, says Lenore Newman, Canada Research Chair on Food Security and Environment at the University of the Fraser in B.C. […]
Aug 6 2020 — Ken Forth — National Newswatch — This summer has been the first time in my life that I’ve been reluctant to tell people what I do for a living. If it comes up in conversation, I try to find a way to change the subject. I’m a farmer. I grow broccoli with my son in Lynden, Ont., outside of Hamilton, just […]
Aug 6 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Outlook for the rest of the year is promising despite disruptions. Ottawa—Exports of grains, oilseeds and pulses were 8.1 per cent higher in the first six months of 2020 than during the same period last year, says Farm Credit Canada. It was a notable performance considering “the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a global recession, highlighted […]
Aug 6 2020 — Glen Pearson — National Newswatch — The appointment of Bob Rae to become this country’s ambassador to the United Nations made sense to most. As a Canadian statesmen and politician, Rae just happens to be a person of large interests and experience around the world – a quality that suits the post of someone meant not only to represent Canada to […]
Aug 5 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Canadian Valerie Hughes will be among the arbitrators. Ottawa—Canada and 22 other countries have agreed to an interim mechanism to keep the World Trade Organization functioning as a global trade referee during the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Valerie Hughes, an Ottawa lawyer and trade expert, was named one of the arbitrators on […]
Aug 4 2020 — Michèle Biss — National Newswatch — As eviction bans lift across the country, and with a second wave of the virus looming on the horizon, individuals and families are counting dollars to make rent and avoid homelessness. Many are asking: isn’t housing supposed to be a human right? One year ago, Canada made a historic advance by recognizing the right to […]