Alberta’s government has dismissed the board of its farm financing and crop insurance agency following an internal probe into “expense and procurement practices” for senior executives. Three unnamed senior executives at Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) have also been “relieved from active duty,” the province said in a release Monday. The province on Monday named […] Read more

Alberta sacks AFSC board over top brass’ expenses

Olymel buying Quebec sausage maker
Quebec’s Olymel plans to consolidate its sausage business into a next-to-new processing plant, after making a deal to buy the plant’s owner. Olymel, the meat packing arm of La Coop federee, announced Tuesday it will buy Trois-Rivieres processor La Fernandiere for an undisclosed sum. La Fernandiere will “remain an autonomous entity” within Olymel, the company […] Read more

B.C. pension funds to get piece of Glencore ag unit
The investment firm for British Columbia’s public-sector pension funds is set to buy just under 10 per cent of the agricultural arm of commodities firm Glencore. Swiss-based Glencore announced Thursday it has a “definitive” deal to sell 9.99 per cent of its “Glencore Agri” business for US$624.9 million cash to the B.C. Investment Management Corp. […] Read more

CN promotes CFO as CEO resigns
Canadian National Railway’s (CN) chief financial officer Luc Jobin will become its chief executive on July 1, as incumbent CEO Claude Mongeau steps down for health reasons. Mongeau announced Tuesday he will resign as CN’s CEO at the end of June, after leading the railway company for six and a half years. “I was filled […] Read more

Strike ends at Rogers’ Montreal sugar refinery
Workers at Rogers Sugar’s Montreal refinery have voted to ratify a new five-year agreement and will return to work “within the next few hours,” ending their strike, the company said Sunday. The plant, which has about 200 unionized workers, represented by le Syndicat des travailleuses et travailleurs de Sucre Lantic (FC-CSN), will resume “all production […] Read more

Madisons chain going Certified Humane for beef
A Quebec steakhouse chain aims to carve out a new space in the restaurant market by being Quebec’s first dining chain to source beef from the Certified Humane program. Madisons NY Grill and Bar, a brand of Montreal restaurant and fast-food firm MTY Group, announced Thursday it has signed a deal with Canadian meat supply […] Read more

Ottawa plans study for new Kingston prison farm
The federal government is set to run a study reconsidering the previous administration’s decision to shut farming operations at federal penitentiaries. Following up on a Liberal campaign pledge, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) announced plans Thursday for a feasibility study including both in-person and online consultations with stakeholders and the public. Specifically, CSC said […] Read more

Scoular buys grain elevator in Manitoba’s Interlake
U.S. grain company The Scoular Co. is expanding its stake in the Prairie grain handling market by buying a small former Agricore elevator in Manitoba’s Interlake region. The company on Thursday announced its “recent purchase” of the Tri-Field Farms elevator at Netley, about 25 km north of Selkirk at the south end of Lake Winnipeg. […] Read more

Proposals for irradiating ground beef back on table
Regulations to allow Canadian beef processors to irradiate fresh and/or frozen raw ground beef for food safety purposes will soon be up for public comment. Health Canada on Monday served notice it will soon propose amendments to its Food and Drug Regulations that would add fresh and frozen ground beef to its list of allowed […] Read more

Bimbo to shut Canada Bread’s North Bay plant
Canada Bread, the Canadian arm of Mexican baked-goods giant Grupo Bimbo, plans to close its bakery at North Bay, Ont. later this summer. The company announced Wednesday it will begin to gradually wind down operations, transfer the plant’s work to its other bakeries in Quebec and Ontario and shut down the bakery effective Aug. 5. […] Read more