“I truly feel that this partnership between CFFO and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank is one of the best ways we, as Christian farmers, can be charitable,” said Ed Scharringa, CFFO president.

“I’m glad to see that our community feels the same way.”

The month-long campaign, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 29, 2022, raised $45,850, with CFFO matching donations dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000.

Scharringa said it’s the second year CFFO has partnered with Canadian Foodgrains Bank for the fundraiser.

While it allows members to make a difference in the world, it also allows members to align their generosity with a cause close to the heart of many.

As many as 825 million people are experiencing hunger globally, and the funds raised will provide emergency food for those impacted by a crisis like violent conflict and natural disasters.

It also supports families with agricultural and income programs to lift them out of poverty in the long-term.

“We are delighted that, once again, Ontario farmers have chosen to share of their abundance with others around the world. I’m so very grateful,” said Any Harrington, Canadian Foodgrains Bank executive director. “Each gift from a member of the Christian Farmers Federation, no matter the amount, means the world.”

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“Tom stood out as a candidate for this position,” Ed Scharringa, CFFO president said in a release. “We believe he has the right skillset to meet the needs of this organization, and we were impressed by his sense of integrity and commitment.”

“I am very pleased to be appointed to this role,” says Tavani, who began his new position Oct. 18. “Being good stewards of the land that God has given us is key to successful farming. I believe the work of the CFFO is crucial in bringing a Christian perspective to agricultural issues, and I look forward to advancing the CFFO’s mission and serving its members.”

Tom replaces Clarence Nywening, who began his role as interim general manager in early 2020.

“The board of directors offers its heartfelt thanks to Clarence, who held the role for much longer than originally anticipated, given the disruption of the pandemic,” says Scharringa. “He has served the CFFO faithfully, as he worked to both improve our internal operations and strengthen our relationships with fellow agricultural organizations.” 

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The COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act is already a matter of concern for some agricultural communities in the Region of Durham as well as the Town of Ajax.

The bill, passed in the Ontario legislature on July 21 gives ministers broader powers to override local planning, which could put more farmland at risk.

In Pickering, for example, the local council has requested a Minister’s Zoning Order to expedite a large residential development on the Carruthers Creek headwaters, requiring no consultation and allowing no hope of appeal.

Why it matters: Significant farmland is lost every year to urban development and the ability to issue zoning orders could accelerate that process.

Bill 197 was an omnibus bill that brought changes to a laundry list of existing legislation in a bid to stimulate the economy in the wake of the current pandemic, including the beefing up of Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZO).

A MZO allows the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to issue zoning orders, usually only in remote areas where there is no local municipality with established planning and zoning capacity. In the past, they were rarely invoked in areas where a municipality with such capacity has jurisdiction.

With the MZO as a resort, the developer can pursue the Pickering project that Suzanne Armstrong, Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) director of research and policy, says endangers top-quality Class 1 farmland and sensitive environmental headwaters.

“My primary understanding is that the province is trying to use it as a tool to move projects ahead faster and boost the economic recovery,” Armstrong said.

Invoking the MZO not only expedites the process, she said, but also leaps over concerns that have been expressed.

Where established processes exist, Armstrong said, people are accustomed to working within that framework, “which does, I am sure, take longer. But people know how to engage, and they have the opportunity.

“Now there’s this other process, which is unfamiliar.”

Pickering Deputy Mayor Kevin Ashe was quoted in DurhamRegion.com calling the MZO request a way to kickstart the process after the developer cited slowdowns to accommodate a municipal comprehensive review process and a full Carruthers Creek watershed study. Resorting to the MZO could cut years off the process, the developer argued, creating jobs and completing new homes much sooner.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, however, says it has no intension of using an MZO in the Carruthers Creek situation. In a statement to Farmtario, the ministry said:

“While the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is aware of the Carruther’s Creek Watershed request, we can have no intention of using an MZO to facilitate development in this area. We will not be issuing an MZO for the Carruther’s Creek Watershed. We remain committed to protecting the Greenbelt for future generations.” 

Citing the increase in MZOs, Ontario Farmland Trust executive director Kathryn Enders has written to Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark to call for a return to using MZOs only in certain specific circumstances as originally designed.

“Agricultural land is the base of the agri-food sector, and it is a finite resource,” Enders wrote.

“In order to preserve the viability of Ontario’s agri-food sector, it is crucial that the province’s finite supply of agricultural land is protected.”

Agriculture’s economic clout relies on the very limited resource of productive farmland, she said. And properties with Class 1 soil (like the land involved in the Pickering project) make up only 0.5 per cent of Canada’s agricultural soil.

In one sense, Armstrong said, putting more time into the process between initial application and shovels-in-the-ground (as opposed to opting for an MZO shortcut) is the essence of democracy, offering time for a thorough examination of the proposed land use in relation to community concerns. This includes vetting by the agricultural community, whose concerns would include the preservation and stewardship of farmland — one of the key missions of the CFFO.

As more municipalities consider implementing an MZO, Armstrong urges the farming community to be vigilant, have discussions on the implications, and raise concerns with their municipalities, their MPPs and the ministry.

“Stewardship is one of the roles for a farm organization, and one of the concerns is the land use and planning process and how it can be used to protect productive farmland,” she said.

“We are concerned about protecting farmland into the future.”

Updated Sept. 11, 2020 to include Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing response to the Carruthers Creek situation.

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Provincial delegates have acclaimed a new president for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO). This year’s annual business meeting was held March 24, 2020, via remote communications.

Ed Scharringa will now lead the CFFO as president. Scharringa has been vice president of the organization and has served on the CFFO board of directors for 11 years. In that time, he has also served on the boards of Farm & Food Care Ontario and the Agricultural Adaptation Council. Scharringa has worked in food and farming for more than 40 years, running businesses in vegetable and flower wholesale, farm market retail and the restaurant industry.

Appointed to positions as vice-president are Richard Blyleven of Cayuga (incumbent) and Frank Hoftyzer of Hastings. Returning to the Board in the role of director are Simon de Boer of Tara (incumbent) and Peter Peeters, from Omemee, who has served on the CFFO Board in previous years.

“I am very pleased to see Ed at the helm,” remarks Clarence Nywening, who has served as CFFO’s president since 2016. “Especially given challenges posed by the current pandemic, we are encouraged by the committed leadership of the entire board.”

Nywening has been appointed by the board of directors to the role of interim general manager. He will lead the organization in strategy development and will guide the Board as they search for a permanent general manager.

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The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario is focusing on the provincial policy statement review during our annual stewardship and policy committee series. CFFO members across the province are weighing in, online or in person, to guide our organization’s recommendations to government.

According to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the proposed changes will increase housing supply and create jobs while also “protecting the environment and resources including farmland, natural resources… and water.”

The government posted several questions for Ontarians, including:

• Do the proposed policies strike the right balance? Why or why not?
• How do these policies take into consideration the views of Ontario communities?
• Are there any other policy changes that are needed to support key priorities for housing, job creation, and streamlining of development approvals?

CFFO is pleased to see that government has prioritized protections for Ontario’s prime agricultural and specialty crop areas. Furthermore, we’re happy to see that the proposal encourages municipalities to protect the agri-food system — the geographical continuity and economic connections of Ontario’s agri-food network.

A close reading of the proposed policies, however, suggests that the top priority is supporting aggregates, mining, and housing development. We worry that today’s concerns about population growth and development pressures have outweighed the long-term need to protect our farmland and food supply.

CFFO members from the eastern part of the province kicked off our stewardship and policy committee meetings in Peterborough. Conversation turned to larger philosophical questions about land stewardship and where support for farmland protection can intersect with support for development.

We look forward to continuing the discussion, as we prepare our response to the provincial policy statement review.

Brenda Dyack is executive director/acting director of research and policy for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario.

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Pork prices are high and are expected to stay that way for a significant stretch of time, mostly because of the African swine fever disaster in China, the world’s largest pork consumer.

The devastation in China is real and people’s lives and livelihoods have been deeply affected. In no way do we want to see a national industry struggle with this disease or any other disaster. North America at this time does not have any indication of the disease but is working to prevent it and making plans to control it, should it appear.

Speaking at the Pork Congress, Al Mussell, chair of Ontario Pork Industry Council, commented that this will become a meat supply issue, not just a pork issue. As people choose other types of meat, there will be pressure on supply for all meats. He reminds us that this is a temporary situation, although it may be an extended one, perhaps lasting up to five or even 10 years. He compared it to the 1972 Russian wheat failure, which was a major crisis and affected markets until 1978, including the American embargo on many other crops.

So, the question is, how much risk can we take based on this specific issue? The opportunity for investing is there, if you can finance it in that time frame. Just remember this could end as hog production in China recovers, evolving to a much healthier, efficient and productive industry.

Suppliers are seeing evidence of people preparing to invest, which is good news; what is needed in Ontario is more processing, driving large cuts of pork to the United States and buying it back in smaller packages as processed meat is not a sustainable business plan. With Maple Leaf building in the U.S. rather than Ontario, we need to work with governments to change the culture or business environment here so processing happens in this province. The recently released federal Food Policy for Canada does not give a lot of attention to the processing sector, which is disappointing.

All things considered, the outlook is encouraging for pork. There may be opportunities for growth, despite the recent ban on Canadian meat by China, but it needs to involve the whole industry. Working together as producers, suppliers, marketers and processors, the pork industry has an opportunity to have a greater presence in the world meat market.

Paul Bootsma is Field Services Manager for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario.

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Dyack’s career in policy and research has spanned over three decades with posts as agricultural advisor to the Ontario Ministry of Finance, senior economist and manager of Economic, Social and Scientific Integration with the  Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), research economist with the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and research fellow with the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra. After over a decade in Australia, she returned home to Ontario, where she has been a principal research associate with Agri-Food Economic Systems in Guelph.

Dyack joined the CFFO in August 2018, covering for an extended leave as director of research and policy. She will continue to carry her policy role in addition to her newly appointed ED duties until the return of incumbent policy lead, Suzanne Armstrong, in October.

“We’re pleased to have Brenda in her new role,” says CFFO President Clarence Nywening. “Her previous agricultural economics experience working within a variety of organizations, both here and abroad, will bring an important and timely economic impact focus to the CFFO.”

“The past months spent serving CFFO members has provided a whole new and very rewarding dimension to my career in agri-environmental policy and research,” says Dyack. “I’m delighted to be selected as ED and to be able to continue applying all of my past experience to advocating for the strong sustainable farming and stewardship priorities of CFFO.”

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The 2007 version was criticized as being heavily influenced by the agriculture industry. In answer to this perception, Health Canada did not invite the industry to the policy table for the 2019 guide’s development.

Several commodities announced they were pleased to see their products included on the eat well plate image that replaced the old food group rainbow. Still, many expressed concerns that consumers might be led to believe that they should replace too much of the animal products in their menu with plant-based alternatives.

It will be difficult to tell for certain how much influence the food guide will have on that end, but we’ve known for some time now that Canadians are embracing alternative proteins.

According to a 2018 food trends report from the University of Guelph, more than 40 per cent of Canadians said they planned to include more plant-based proteins in their diets — higher than the global average.

It’s possible that, rather than influencing future consumption habits, the food guide is simply reflecting actual trends. Fortunately, modern agricultural production has demonstrated that it always adapts to market trends.

Unfortunately, the food guide is seen by some as elitist. As health reporter André Picard says, “The symbolic fruity/nutty/grainy plate is actually out of reach for many who struggle with poverty, food insecurity and health illiteracy.”

Certainly, the new food guide serves to highlight the fact that, for many, healthy eating is a luxury. We need to remember that the role of the food guide is to recommend what is best for health, not what is best for health given the limits of most people’s budgets. If budgets are barriers to enabling Canadians to eat well, then we need to rethink social policy to address food insecurity.

As we await the future “food policy for Canada,” we hope that this food guide will trigger policymakers to think about how to support the agri-food sector as it responds to market changes.

It will be important for government to provide the structures that will both make nutritious food accessible for all Canadians and smooth the ripple effects for agriculture. The change on the plate may very well drive a structural change in rural Canada that needs attention.

Agri-food policy at all levels of government should promote food security by both protecting the limited Canadian farmland that can produce these foods and by supporting research into sustainable farming practices that will improve the quantity and quality of crops.

Concern for our environment is interwoven throughout the food guide’s recommendations. If government proposes that Canadians consider the environment when making decisions about what food to eat, then what will be the co-ordinating proposal to protect the Canadian farmland that can sustainably provide it?

Marie Versteeg is manager of executive board and committees for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO commentary represents the opinions of the writer.

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