A provincial consultation on expanded producer responsibility for recycling has found scant support for including non-residential waste, including agricultural plastics, in the province’s recycling regulation. Instead, feedback on an intentions paper published last fall urged the province to leave management of agricultural plastics to Cleanfarms, a manufacturer-led stewardship organization based in Ontario. “Two respondents speaking …
NEWS
Beef impact bumps up
Western Canada’s beef industry could ride an upward trend over the next decade, according to an economic impact report researchers at the University of Saskatchewan prepared for Canfax Research Services and the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association this spring. The cattle sector currently has a net economic impact of $51.6 billion nationally, of which $38.8 billion occurs …
Canada at “negligible risk” for BSE
Canada now holds negligible risk status for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), delegates to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) general session decided May 27. The shift to the lowest level of risk for transmission of BSE makes Canada eligible for expanded access to foreign markets for more beef products, previously limited by BSE-era restrictions. …
Sector events start growing
This summer could see a revival of agricultural fairs and trade shows, following last week’s announcement of BC’s reopening plans. BC Fairs members met June 1 to discuss plans and protocols as BC prepares for a full reopening of the province by September. Many fairs that usually happen later in the summer are planning to …
BC minimum wage increases
BC made good on plans to achieve a $15 minimum wage this week, with the hourly minimum rising 60 cents to $15.20 an hour June 1. The increase was the final step in an aggressive plan the province announced in 2018, following a report of the BC Fair Wages Commission. The report recommended moving towards …
Wind machines in Surrey face blowback
SURREY – The BC Farm Industry Review Board received a formal noise complaint on April 20 against a blueberry farm in south Surrey. According to reports in the Peace Arch News, the couple who initiated the complaint had moved to Morgan Creek from Vancouver in March and were kept awake several nights in a row …