Ontario’s Plan to Consolidate Conservation Authorities: What’s at Stake | ERO #025-1257 | #LocalConservationMatters Before continuing, readers may wish to review this background research brief:Doug Ford Is Dismantling Ontario’s 70-Year Watershed System👉 https://gaiaorganics.ca/doug-ford-is-dismantling-ontarios-70-year-watershed-system/ The Ontario government is proposing major changes to how Conservation Authorities operate.Right now, Ontario has 36 local Conservation Authorities, each governed by […]
Genetically engineered vegetable seeds could soon be sold to home gardeners in Canada. Farmers are raising serious concerns about what this could mean for seed saving, organic integrity, and transparency in our food system. Unlike traditional breeding, many new gene-edited seeds may enter the market without mandatory labelling or public disclosure, leaving gardeners unaware of […]
Proposed changes would further erode this ancient practice – Cathy Holtslander 🌱 Why Farmers’ Right to Save Seed Matters — and Why It’s Under Threat Seed isn’t just the starting point of every crop — it’s the foundation of our food system and centuries of traditional farming practice. But in Canada, proposed changes to the […]
A Call to the Seed Industry for Collaboration and Data Sharing Across the seed sector, biosecurity and export access increasingly depend on transparent seed-health verification. In the case of tomato and pepper seeds, six regulated Pospiviroids have emerged as critical trade barriers — requiring declaration of freedom or negative test results for export, particularly to […]
Seeds and Sovereignty By Manish Kushwaha & Gaia Organics (Submitted to the Canada Gazette — August 2025) Introduction When trade grows uncertain, handing control of plant breeding to a small circle of private firms is a dangerous gamble.Seed is not just another input — it is the foundation of life, food, and freedom. Whoever controls […]
Public Farmland Leases: Balancing Responsibility and Stewardship Across Canada, approximately 18.5 million acres of farmland — involving about 14,300 farm operations — are leased from public authorities at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. These publicly-owned farms range from grazing rangelands to mixed crop farms and are essential to our food system. But for many […]
— and How You Can Speak Up Canada has launched new public consultations on the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) — open until November 3, 2025.👉 View the announcement on Canada.ca 🌱 Seed Is Foundational Seed is the first link in our food system.If cross-border seed import/export is hampered by inconsistent or opaque rules, breeders and […]
Seeds are more than just the beginning of a crop. They are the foundation of food, culture, and community. Who controls seeds shapes who controls our food system — and by extension, our livelihoods, health, and sovereignty. Right now, Canada is at a crossroads. The federal government, through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), is […]
The federal government is proposing major changes to the Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR) Regulations. See Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 159, Number 32: Regulations Amending the Plant Breeders’ Rights Regulations for more details. On paper, the goal is to “align with international partners” and “support innovation.” But for farmers and small seed companies, these amendments could […]