Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: The Drummond Report calls for Serious Change in Ontario

By Nathan Stevens
February 24, 2012

The long awaited Drummond Report was released last week. The weighty report calls for a serious change in direction in this province. If implemented, all Ontarians will be impacted, including agriculture and rural Ontario.

The report points out that Ontario is not in a crisis... yet. There are a lot of good things that are being done, but we aren’t facing the reality of being a province in slow decline. Rather than a crisis, the report argues that Ontario faces a challenge – which can be met with “well-considered, firm, steady and even imaginative action” to resolve the looming difficulties before they build into a larger crisis that requires drastic action with fewer options to use in response.

The report calls for an economic vision and a road map to reform public services in a way that proactively promotes building for the future. Maintaining the status quo cannot be the focus of this reform. The report calls for a fundamental shift away from focusing on simply creating jobs to policy and programs that are focused on improved productivity for Ontario businesses.

The report also calls for sustained fiscal restraint. If the recommendations of the report are taken seriously then the total budgets for health, education and social services will be facing serious fiscal restraint over the coming years. Every other department is going to be collectively dealing with four billion dollars less through to 2017-18.

For agriculture, there are some concerns that farm organizations will need to consider. The new Risk Management Program was not given a specific recommendation in the report, but it was used as an example of a program that is not in line with the new direction recommended in the report. The horse-racing industry is specifically targeted in the report, which may have repercussions for hay and horse farmers in the province. Finally, indicating that government’s environmental programs and services be based on full cost recovery and a user-pays model may have serious implications for all farmers.

The Drummond Report is a potential catalyst for change in this province. The recommendations of the report have implications for everyone in Ontario. It remains to be seen if government, business, and individuals are willing to embrace the tough recommendations of the report that build for the future, or if this province will continue with the status quo.

 

Nathan Stevens is the Interim Manager and Director of Policy Development for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, and UCB Canada radio stations in Chatham, Belleville, Bancroft, Brockville and Kingston and in Brantford and Woodstock. It is also found on the CFFO website:www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,200 family farmers across Ontario.

Views: 119

Comment

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

Join Ontario Agriculture

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

CCGA Selected a Manitoba Top Employer

Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) has been recognized as one of Manitoba’s Top Employers, a competition organized by the editors of Canada’s Top Employers, now celebrating 20 years of exceptional workplaces in the province. Earlier today, the results of the 2026 competition were announced online at Eluta.ca and in a special feature in the Winnipeg Free Press. “Being named one of Manitoba’s Top Employers for 2026 is a proud achievement for CCGA,” says Rick White, President & CEO at CCGA. “This honour reflects the dedication and passion of our amazing team and their commitment to our vision of Helping Farmers Succeed and advancing agriculture within the province and across the country.” To achieve recognition through Manitoba’s Top Employers, CCGA was assessed on eight criteria, including 1) workplace, 2) work atmosphere, 3) benefits, 4) vacation and time off, 5) employee communications, 6) performance management, 7) training and development, and 8) community involvement.

Farmers’ Markets Ontario names new executive director

Farmers’ Markets Ontario (FMO) has announced that Melanie Anderson, Ottawa, will assume the role of executive director, effective April 1, 2026. FMO is the only official provincially recognized organization representing more than180 farmers’ markets across the province.

Farmers again caught in geopolitical crossfire

A week ago, things were looking up for Prairie farmers. Canola prices were rising on news China would follow through on its promise to reduce its 75.9 per cent anti-dumping tariff on canola seed after Canada eased steep tariffs on imported EVs. Those canola tariffs have now dropped to 5.9 per cent, plus the nine per cent standard import tariff already in place. While not zero, tariffs of just under 15 per cent make it possible to restore trade flows and maintain China as Canada’s second-largest canola customer. As well, Canada’s prime minister was in India on another diplomatic defrosting mission with positive implications for agricultural exports. Any time the world’s largest exporter of pulse crops such as peas, lentils and chickpeas can make inroads into the world’s biggest market for those commodities, the sun shines a little brighter. While more sales to India weren’t on the agenda, the talks between Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi still shouted progress.

Pulse Market Insight #293

StatsCan Pulse Acreage Numbers (Mostly) Not Surprising The first official forecasts of 2026 seeded area were recently issued by StatsCan, with some “interesting” estimates for a few crops. For pulse crops though, most of the acreage numbers weren’t really out of line with expectations. It’s important to note that even though StatsCan’s estimates were issued in early March, they were based on a farmer survey that occurred between mid-December and mid-January. Since that survey, there have been sizable market developments that could influence acreage decisions. That said, crop rotations are largely fixed and a portion of the acreage was already decided back in December. But there is still room for some late tweaking around the margins. The most noteworthy event was the announcement by the Chinese government to scale back or eliminate import tariffs on canola seed, canola meal and peas, which injected more optimism into those markets. This development added some support for prices whic

Mustard Breakthrough Brings Yield Gains — But GM Concerns Echo Flax Triffid Crisis

Committee chair says a nearly 10% yield jump in mustard is encouraging for growers, but warns GM mustard contamination and federal research cuts could create long-term challenges for Prairie oilseeds. Big yield gains, high-stakes market risks and mounting concerns over federal research cuts dominated flax and mustard discussions at last week’s Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC) meetings in Banff, Alta. “We’re seeing a real leap forward in mustard,” said Ken Jackle, chair of the Prairie Recommending Committee for Oilseeds (PRCO), pointing to a new condiment mustard line expected to go forward this year. “It’s quite a yield bump. It’ll have quite a yield advantage over the existing checks.” How big a jump? Almost 10%, he said. For mustard growers, that kind of jump matters. Yield improvements in recent years have been steady, and Jackle credited Dr. Bifang Cheng’s breeding program at AAFC Saskatoon for keeping progress moving. “It’s good to see these increases in their yield

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service