Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Ontario Reintroduces the Local Food Act

by Nathan Stevens

This week, the Provincial government introduced the Local Food Act, 2013. This act has the potential to be a positive opportunity for government to lead the way on local food. It also represents an opportunity for farmers in Ontario to supply Ontario’s public bodies with local food. 

The Act has three simple purposes. The first is to foster successful and resilient local food economies and systems throughout Ontario. The second is to increase awareness of local food in Ontario, including the diversity of local food. The third is to encourage the development of new markets for local food.

The Local Food Act will focus primarily on enabling the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food to establish local food targets for a wide array of publicly-funded institutions. Targets and goals can be set, in consultation with organizations that have an interest in the particular goal or target that is being considered. Every three years a report is to be prepared that assesses the progress being made on achieving the local food goals and targets.

The scope of the Act allows for a selection of which foods are included in a target, which means that the quantitative targets can also have qualitative implications. This will allow government to prioritize certain food types over others if it chooses to do so, based on public concerns. For example, it could set a target for fruits and vegetables in public institutions, but not for other food groups.

Unfortunately, there is no contingency for dealing with price gaps between what an institution can afford and what a farmer needs to be profitable. This means that some targets may be very difficult to achieve for public institutions, especially in an era of tight fiscal situations for both governments and public institutions. If targets must be met, then institutions will be forced to reduce service in other areas.

The Local Food Act has the potential to turn our public institutions into champions of the local food movement. This, in turn, has the potential to benefit many Ontario producers that are focused on producing food for consumers close to home.

Views: 86

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by Maureen Temme on April 2, 2013 at 5:04am

Hi Nathan,

Could you locate and find a link to the Ontario Food Act, new version, and add it to your blog?

Thanks for the post,

Maureen

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Pulse Market Insight #289

Big Risks Dampen Price Signals for 2026 Crop This is the time of year when new-crop bids for pulses usually start showing up, but not always. It’s not just the actual price that signals how urgently buyers are looking to lock in acres; the timing of new-crop bids is also an indicator. For example, I recall years when new-crop bids for peas or lentils already started to show up in October, almost a year before the next crop is harvested. That happened when pea and lentil supplies were very short and importers wanted to ensure they would have access to next year’s crops. In general though, the first new-crop bids are often seen in late December or early January. One rule of thumb some people use is the Saskatoon Crop Production Show in mid-January as the “real start” of the contracting season. But this year, it seems that new-crop bids are even scarcer than usual, with a few possible reasons. The first is that overseas buyers aren’t very concerned about locking in next year’s supplie

CN Marks Record December, Annual Grain Movement

Canadian National Railway set a new benchmark for grain movement in December, capping off a record-breaking year. The railway said Friday it moved more than 2.82 million tonnes of grain from Western Canada in December, marking its fourth consecutive monthly record and surpassing the previous December high set in 2020 by more than 80,000 tonnes. The strong December performance also helped CN establish a new annual record for grain shipments in 2025. In Western Canada alone, CN moved over 31.3 million tonnes of grain during the year, exceeding the previous record of 30.9 million set in 2020. Across all of Canada, total grain volumes across CN’s network reached more than 32.7 million tonnes, breaking the prior record of 32.25 million established in 2024. CN attributed the record volumes to a combination of large Canadian grain crops and steady execution throughout the supply chain. Janet Drysdale, CN’s executive vice-president and chief commercial officer, said consistent operat

ROI announces the Community Well-being Dashboard in Ontario’s two official languages

The Rural Ontario Institute (ROI) is pleased to announce the Rural Community Well-Being Dashboard and supporting factsheets will be made available in Ontario’s two official languages in the spring of 2026.

Chicago Close: Little Changed in Pre-Report Positioning

Corn, wheat, and soybean futures were little changed on Thursday as traders continued to position ahead of key USDA reports to be released on Monday. 

GFO Rejoins Grain Growers of Canada

Almost six years after parting ways, Grain Farmers of Ontario has rejoined Grain Growers of Canada, marking a renewed push for a more unified national voice as Canada’s grain sector navigates mounting economic and policy pressures. 

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service