Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

New Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs, Jeff Leal, Who is he and will he be a good Minister of Ag?

 

 

Jeff Leal

Political Career

  • Minister of Rural Affairs, February 2013 – May 2014
  • Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, October 2007 – February 2010
  • Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, September 2006 – September 2007
  • Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy, November 2005 – September 2006
  • Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, June 2005 – November 2005
  • Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, September 2004 – June 2005
  • Second Deputy Mayor, Peterborough
  • City Councillor, Peterborough

Education

  • B.A. (Honours), Economics and Political Science, Trent University
  • Business Administration degree (Honours), University of Windsor

Personal and Family Life

  • Married (Karan) with two children, Braden and Shanae

Executive Biography

Jeff Leal was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003 as the MPP for Peterborough. He was re-elected in 2007, 2011 and 2014.

Leal was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in June 2014. He has served as Chief Government Whip, and as Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministers of Aboriginal Affairs, the Environment, Energy, Economic Development and Trade, and Training, Colleges and Universities.

Prior to being elected to the legislature, Leal was a Peterborough city councillor and second deputy mayor. He has worked extensively with the county and local governments, as well as the City of Peterborough.

From the Ontario Government website.

Views: 1123

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

OHRIA Welcomes Minister Leal.

OHRIA News

The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association is pleased with the announcement that Premier Kathleen Wynne has named Jeff Leal as Minister of Agriculture and Food, taking over those duties from Wynne.

 

The Agriculture portfolio is very important for members of the horse racing industry, and OHRIA looks forward to dealing with Minister Leal in this key position.

 

As Minister Leal will also be continuing in the position of Minister of Rural Affairs, we know the Minister already has a great insight into the concerns of our members and we are interested in building our relationship further.

 

"The past two years have seen tremendous changes for our industry, with significant issues that need to be addressed and Minister Leal has already demonstrated through word and action a genuine concern for the horse racing and breeding industry," said Sue Leslie, President and Chair of OHRIA. "We expect the government will be a strong partner in tackling these concerns in the next few months."

 

Prior to the cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks Program 60,000 people were employed in the horse racing and breeding sectors. The industry continues to employ tens of thousands and plays an important role in the economy of rural Ontario, and OHRIA looks forward to our next meeting with Minister Leal to work together on building a strong partnership with the government.

OFA committed to working with new provincial cabinet.

OFA News

GUELPH, ON [June 24, 2014] – In a post-election cabinet shuffle, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced today the re-amalgamation of the agriculture and rural affairs ministries. The cabinet announcement also included changes to other ministry portfolios. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) is supportive of all the changes and will continue working closely with the various ministries to address important issues affecting the business of farming in Ontario.

Ontario’s agriculture and food industries are affected by a number of portfolios across multiple ministries. The OFA looks forward to working with new and returning Ministers and policy makers in their areas of legislative responsibility.

The OFA welcomes returning Minister Jeff Leal to his expanded portfolio as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. As former Minister of Rural Affairs, Leal is familiar with both the rural and agricultural landscape. The OFA will work closely with him to champion agriculture, food and rural issues across other ministries, particularly Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure. 

Led by Minister Brad Duguid, the newly reconstituted Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure will prove to be important to the agriculture and agri-food sector’s plans for economic growth in Ontario. OFA will work with Minister Duguid on the Liberal party’s promise to enable natural gas connections across rural Ontario. Natural gas expansion across our province is a sound investment and will improve the competitiveness of farms and other rural businesses.

Continuing with its focus on food literacy, the OFA will work with the new Minister of Health, Dr. Eric Hoskins, and returning Minister of Education Liz Sandals, to develop a long-term strategy to reintroduce nutrition and food preparation into Ontario’s education system. The OFA also looks forward to working with former Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ted McMeekin, in his new role as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. McMeekin will lead the review of the Greenbelt, Oak Ridges and Niagara Escarpment Plans and the OFA will be at the table to ensure farming and food businesses remain sustainable within these land-use designated areas. OFA will work closely with Reza Moridi, the new Minister of Research and Innovation, to continue critical agricultural research into new markets, climate change and enhanced productivity.

The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is the largest general farm organization in Ontario. As a dynamic farmer-led organization based in Guelph, the OFA works to represent and champion the interests of Ontario farmers through government relations, farm policy recommendations, lobby efforts, community representation, media relations and more. OFA is the leading advocate for Ontario’s farmers and is Ontario’s voice of the farmer.

Reply to Discussion

RSS

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

UM Aggie Bedpush rolls across Manitoba to support rural health and wellness

The annual Aggie Bedpush is back this fall, continuing a beloved tradition of fundraising and community spirit led by students from the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. From September 26 to 28, students will push their iconic burgundy bed through Manitoba towns, raising money for two meaningful causes: STARS (Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service) Foundation and the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program Bedpush organizer Pyper Hollar explains the deep connection between these charities and the farming community. “Many Aggies live and or work in rural communities meaning that the nearest hospital can be at least an hour’s drive away. STARS is an Air Rescue service that can provide not only hospital transport when trouble arises, but has an incredible team of highly skilled professionals who can treat on the ground and in the air; STARS can be the difference between life and death for many Aggies out there,” she says. Mental health is another key concern. “Th

Tasters needed for bread acceptability research study

We are recruiting volunteers to participate in a Sensory Research Study in Food and Human Nutritional Sciences in the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. You would have the opportunity to take part in sensory research and learn methods related to the acceptability of food products. Details including the consent form and screening questionnaire are in the Information Package link below. Title: Acceptability of Bread with a Bioactive Ingredient Principal Investigator: Dr. Cristina Rosell (cristina.rosell@umanitoba.ca) Activity: Observe, smell and taste bread samples to determine degree of liking of appearance, aroma, flavor, texture and overall Eligibility: No allergies to foods or beverages, no sensitivity to gluten, 18 years of age or older, and no direct involvement or knowledge of the project Commitment: One Session about 20 minutes Session Options: September 23, 25, 26, October 1 and 2 every 30 minutes from 11:30 to 1:30 inclusive Where: Fourth Floor Human Ecology Buil

Saskatchewan harvest chugs along

There was good harvest progress over much of Saskatchewan last week—although there were rain delays in some areas. The weekly Saskatchewan Agriculture report says combining is 41 per cent complete—up from 23 per cent the previous week. The five-year average is 58 per cent and the ten-year average is 49 per cent. The southwest is 55 per cent combined and the southeast is at the halfway point. Plenty of progress made in the northwest last week, which is now at 41 per cent combined. East-central sits at 31 per cent with west-central and the northeast at 27 per cent combined. Peas are mostly in the bin with lentils at 84 per cent. Moving to the cereal crops—barley is 54 per cent combined, durum 49 per cent, while spring wheat and oats are 35 per cent harvested. Canola sits at 12 per cent combined and flax at three per cent. Volunteer crop reporters were asked to provide yield estimates—keeping in mind there can be large variations between fields due to scattered rainfall during the gro

“More positive than anticipated” is how Saskatchewan’s Premier terms meetings with Chinese government officials

Premier Scott Moe is crossing more time zones on Monday only two days after finishing a trade mission to China and Japan last week. Moe spoke to reporters at the Saskatoon airport prior to departing on a flight to the nation’s capital for additional meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior cabinet ministers. Moe and the Prime Minister’s parliamentary secretary Kody Blois met with officials within the Chinese Commerce Ministry—the body that is responsible for implementing import tariffs. It has placed very hefty preliminary tariffs on Canadian canola seed—as well as canola oil, canola meal, peas and pork. Those tariffs were seen as a response to Canadian tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. That tariff was implemented at the request of the United States. It’s hoped the trade mission will begin a gradual process to improve relations between Canada and China.

Ontario’s most problematic weed -- Canada Fleabane Cuts Corn and Soybean Yields

Persistent Canada fleabane, now resistant to multiple herbicides, causes significant yield losses in Ontario corn and soybeans, demanding zero-tolerance management and adjusted herbicide programs.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service