Friday, June 5, 2015

Ontario Investing $5 Million in Local Food Projects


Province Celebrating Local Food Week


Today Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, celebrated Local Food Week at Longo's where he announced two new Local Food Fund projects:
  • Longo's will receive up $446,138 to launch "Taste Ontario Too", an in store and online marketing campaign to help consumers learn about local farmers and processors, to expand Longo's GroceryGateway.com  search functions for mobile devices, and funding to make their own fresh pork sausage.
  • VG Meats Limited will receive up to $948,025 to help bring Ontario beef to more than 25 Longo's grocery stores. The funding will be used to purchase equipment for beef processing and new customer friendly, leak-proof packaging with the Foodland Ontario logo.
In addition, twelve other innovative local food projects will be receiving support through the province's Local Food Fund. The fund is part of the Ontario government's broader local food strategy and is aimed at increasing consumer awareness of and access to local food and beverages produced, grown and harvested in the province.

Supporting local food is part of the government's plan to build Ontario up. The four part plan includes investing in people's talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario's history, creating a dynamic and innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.

Quick Facts

  • Ontario’s agri-food sector contributes $34.8 billion to the GDP and supports 780,000 jobs – about one in every nine jobs.
  • To date, the Local Food Fund has committed more than $22 million to 163 projects, leveraging a total investment of more than $102 million.
  • June 1-7 is Ontario’s second annual Local Food Week - one of the first elements to come into effect under Ontario’s Local Food Act, 2013.

Background Information

Additional Resources

Quotes

Jeff Leal
“Local Food Week is a terrific opportunity to celebrate the diversity of innovative local food projects that help to boost demand for food that is grown, harvested and made right here within our province. Through Local Food Fund projects like these, Longo’s and VG Meats are helping to bring more local food to consumers’ plates, while supporting farmers, strengthening communities and growing Ontario’s economy.”
Jeff Leal
Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
“Initiatives supported by the Local Food Fund help to boost local communities, as well as benefit businesses and consumers across the province. These projects also help ensure that Ontario's agri-food industry connects rural and urban consumers and brings the best of Ontario-grown food to tables across the province.”
Minister Steven Del Duca
MPP for Vaughan
“The Local Food Fund is helping us not only support Ontario farmers, but is giving us the opportunity to create innovative ways of connecting with partners and customers. This funding is allowing us to promote local food and celebrate the great things that this province has to offer.”
Rosanne Longo
Longo’s Spokesperson and Brand Ambassador
“This project has allowed us work with Longo’s to bring new and innovative local food products to the market. Through collaborations like this, even more Ontarians can enjoy local food.”
Cory Van Groningen
VG Meats

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New App Helps Horse Owners Monitor Vital Health Data

Equine Guelph’s Horse Health Tracker app is available as a free download
GUELPH, Ontario  June 3, 2015 - atGuelph - As with most animals, it can be difficult to tell if a horse is feeling ill, and horse owners sometimes worry they might be missing the early signs of a health problem.
Equine Guelph's Horse Health Tracker app.Equine Guelph’s new Horse Health Tracker app can help. Available as a free download, it allows owners to monitor the vital health data of up to two horses, as well as evaluate the body condition of their horse and calculate the animal’s weight. An upgraded version with additional features is available for a fee.
Since debuting in April, the app has been downloaded more than 1,000 times.
Sharon Quarrington, a horse owner who also boards horses on her farm near Campbellville, Ont., and offers several horse educational programs, likes the convenience of the app.
“Having all the health parameters at my fingertips with pictures and videos showing me how to do the check and what is normal or not is wonderful,” she says. Before downloading the Horse Health Tracker app, she had to record health information on a piece of paper, which could be lost or misplaced, and was difficult to share with her veterinarian.
Upgrade features include the ability to monitor information such as heart rate, temperature and respiration of up to 50 horses, and track this data over 13 months. Instructional videos show how to properly perform health assessments, and the upgraded app allows owners to share the data with healthcare professionals by email. Owners can also create custom profiles for each horse and sync healthcare appointment reminders with their smartphone calendars.
“This scheduler app is great,” says Quarrington. “It is so easy to lose track of when a horse is due for the farrier or the vet.”
Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph, says the app is a “must-have management tool for every educated horse person.” It is available from both the Apple App Store and Google Play.
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Thursday, June 4, 2015

Another outstanding maple syrup harvest for the 2015 season

LONGUEUIL, Quebec, June 4, 2015 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - Like the previous two years, 2015 was another outstanding harvest season for Quebec's maple syrup producers, who, with 42.3 million taps in operation, produced 107.2 million pounds of maple syrup, for an average yield of 2.53 pounds per tap.
A season marked by a very late start This spring, unusual weather conditions delayed the beginning of the sugaring season. The southernmost regions, Saint-Jean-Valleyfield and Saint-Hyacinthe, had small flows by mid-March. However, the persistent cold slowed the thaw, which resulted in all of Quebec's first major flows occurring only in mid-April. Three-quarters of production took place during the last three weeks of April. Some more easterly regions harvested until early May.
"Many feared that the long, cold winter would affect production. However, in the maple syrup industry, you should never count your chickens before they're hatched. Predicting production results is practically impossible. Mother Nature always has the final say," said Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers president Serge Beaulieu. "Again this year, the cold spring was good for maple syrup production in general. The Bas-Saint-Laurent/Gaspésie region benefitted the most from the ideal weather and had the best yields—2.96 pounds per tap."
The fourth best harvest and quality syrup The 2015 harvest did not surpass the 2013 record of 120.3 million pounds or last year's tally of 113.7 million pounds. However it does rank as the fourth best harvest on record, just below the 2009 harvest of 109.4 million pounds. Furthermore, nearly 73% of the maple syrup already inspected has been classified in the top three categories, Extra Light, Light and Medium. This excellent harvest represents nearly 217,000 barrels of maple syrup for quality inspectors to classify and inspect.
A record year for salesThe sales agency set a sales record for the second year in a row—a total of 97 million pounds of maple syrup—relegating 2014's high of 92.7 million pounds to second place. The new record is partly explained by the sugaring season's late start like last year. During the regular marketing year set out in the marketing agreement, from February 28 to February 27 of the following year, the Federation sold 88.7 million pounds. Because of the late season, it then agreed with buyers to allow sales of maple syrup produced in 2014 and preceding years until May 12, 2015.
With the extended marketing year, an additional 8.3 million pounds were sold to achieve 97 million pounds overall. These sales also dropped the strategic reserve level to 60.7 million pounds. Since 2010, the agency's sales have increased 10.5% annually from 58.9 to 97 million pounds this year.
About FPAQThe Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers was founded in 1966 with the mission of defending and promoting the economic, social and moral interests of 7,300 maple producers, as well as developing initiatives to collectively market maple products. The quality work of these maple producers has made Quebec the proud source of 71% of the world's maple syrup. 
Website: .   fpaq.ca
SOURCE Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers
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Ontario takes action on four of Elections Ontario's recommendations to improve the electoral process


TORONTO, Ontario June 4, 2015 /Canada NewsWire/ - Today Premier Wynne announced Ontario will take action on four recommendations that the Chief Electoral Officer, Greg Essensa, has been making for several years, most recently in the Elections Ontario 2014 Post-Event Report. 
"I am pleased that the government has heard my recommendations and I welcome progress on these initiatives," says Essensa. "The recommendations being addressed make it easier for Ontarians to vote and level the playing field protecting the integrity of our system."
STRENGTHENING THIRD-PARTY REGULATIONS
Since his appointment as Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario, Mr. Essensa has been recommending that an independent body be established to investigate options for strengthening third party advertising rules in Ontario, including third party spending and contribution limits, reporting requirements for third parties, and registration and anti-collusion provisions.
In recent elections, certain third parties have increased significantly what they spend on advertising. Meanwhile, of the jurisdictions in Canada that regulate third party advertising, Ontario is the only one where third parties do not face advertising spending or contribution limits. The Chief Electoral Officer believes that this reality could very well produce a situation in which parties and candidates campaign on an uneven playing field.  Spending by third parties increased by 358% between 2007 and 2014 with third parties spending $1.9 million in 2007 and $8.7 million in 2014.
SPRING ELECTIONS
Municipal elections in Ontario are held in the fall under a fixed-date system that in 2018 would put the current fixed-date provincial election two weeks ahead of them. Closely placed elections can lead to voter fatigue and a drop in participation at the polls.  The Chief Electoral Officer recommended that the legislation, which at present specifies a fixed date for general elections as the first Thursday in October every four years, be amended to a fixed date in the spring such as a date in early June.
YOUTH PROVISIONAL REGISTRATION
Youth are more likely to vote if they get a notice of registration card (NRC) telling them when, where and how to vote.  To get an NRC you must be a registered voter and many first time 18-year-old voters are not registered.  Allowing Elections Ontario to capture information related to 16 and 17 year olds removes a barrier to youth voting by giving youth more time to register. Removing barriers to youth voting is important since electors are more likely to become regular voters if they vote when they are first eligible which is why the Chief Electoral Officer recommends allowing the provisional registration of individuals when they are 16.
REDISTRIBUTION
A fair distribution of Ontario's electoral districts is essential to our democratic process. Ontario has not redistributed electoral districts since 2007. Because of our changing and growing population, the Chief Electoral Officer has been strongly recommending that it is critical for Ontario to engage in redistribution.  We welcome the announcement of theElectoral Boundaries Act which will mark the start of this process.
The Chief Electoral Officer looks forward to working collaboratively with legislators to bring each issue towards implementation.
The Elections Ontario 2014 Post-Event Report can be found here: http://bit.ly/1dewXTY
Elections Ontario is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections and referenda.
SOURCE Elections Ontario
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Sunday, May 31, 2015

Aubudon Guide to the Birds of North America

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)




 What could be better than a fully digitized, completely free, web-based Audubon Field Guide? The resources available on this site are as useful as they are beautiful. In addition to the Song and Calls section and the individual profiles of hundreds of birds (both listed below), environmentally conscious readers will likely find the coverage of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill extremely informative. 

 The navigation of the site is both functional and fun, and components such as the 2015 Photography Awards, with its heart-stopping images of birds from around the world, will delight and amaze. 

 The Audubon field guides have sold over 18 million copies since Alfred A. Knopf published the first illustrated and descriptive books in 1934. 

 This informative website, which features beautiful drawings and photographs as well as extensive descriptions of birds from around North America, is intuitive and pleasing to the eye. 

 Readers can start by selecting the Featured Bird, by typing the name of a specific species into the search function, or by sorting the guide into taxonomic family or region. Each record then opens to provide detailed information, including facts about Habitat, Migration, and Feeding Behavior. 

 Perhaps best of all, the Songs and Calls section (stocked from over 2,500 sound files created by Lang Elliott) lets readers experience the song of the Acadian Flycatcher or the rhythms of the Acorn Woodpecker among others. 


 Audubon Field GuideWebsite ·-  https://www.audubon.org/field-guide

 From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 2014. http://scout.wisc.edu/

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Friday, May 29, 2015

Government of Canada announces two calls for proposals for projects helping seniors across Canada stay active, engaged and informed


TORONTO, Ontario May 29, 2015 /Canada NewsWire/ - Today, the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), announced two New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) calls for proposals for projects that will keep Canadian seniors active, engaged and informed. For both calls for proposals, the application period begins on May 29, 2015 and will close on July 10, 2015. Today's event took place at the Mon Sheong Foundation's Mon Sheong Home for the Aged in Toronto.
The 2015–2016 NHSP Call for Proposals for Pan-Canadian Projects is inviting organizations to apply for funding for projects that will help to reduce social isolation among seniors by using collaborative approaches that place an emphasis on measurable results. The Government of Canada is partnering with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and its Innoweave initiative to support the development, implementation and scaling of these collaborative approaches to reduce social isolation among seniors. Applicants can contact Innoweave through its Seniors SI program to obtain support and to learn more about how organizations can work together to address social isolation. More information on how to apply for funding is available at Canada.ca/Seniors.
The annual NHSP Call for Proposals for Community-Based Projects is inviting organizations to apply for funding of up to $25,000 for projects that help empower seniors to share their knowledge, skills and experiences with others and support communities by increasing their capacity to address local issues. More information on how to apply is available at Canada.ca/Seniors.
To help families prosper, the Government is also enhancing the Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB), introducing the Family Tax Cut and making improvements to the Child Care Expenses Deduction and the Children's Fitness Tax Credit. The UCCB would increase to up to $1,920 per year for children under the age of 6, and parents would receive a benefit of up to $720 per year for each child aged 6 through 17. The proposed enhancements to the UCCB would provide $160 per month for each child under the age of 6 and $60 per month for each child aged 6 through 17.
The Mon Sheong Foundation is a Canadian registered charitable organization, dedicated to the promotion of Chinese culture, heritage, language and philosophy through caring for the elderly, encouraging the young and providing programs and services in response to the needs of our communities. The Foundation is a former recipient of NHSP funding.
Quick Facts
The Government of Canada is committed to supporting and promoting seniors' health, well-being and contributions by encouraging them to stay active, engaged and informed.

Since 2006, the NHSP has funded nearly 15,000 projects in hundreds of communities across Canada, representing a total Government of Canada investment of $350 million.
Since 2006, $2.8 billion in annual tax relief has been provided to seniors and pensioners.
In 2006, over 30 percent of Canada's seniors were at risk of social isolation.

The National Seniors Council (NSC), in its Report on the Social Isolation of Seniors, 2013–2014, highlighted the importance of working with a wide array of organizations that deliver services and programs in an efficient and effective manner to alleviate isolation among older Canadians. The report can be found on Canada.ca/Seniors.

The Government of Canada released the Government of Canada – Action for Seniors report in September 2014. The report is a new information resource highlighting federal programs and services that can be accessed by seniors, their families and caregivers. It was created in collaboration with more than 22 federal departments and agencies. The report can be found on Canada.ca/Seniors.

For a wide range of information for seniors, including details on the NHSP, please visit Canada.ca/Seniors.
Quotes
"Our Government is proud to invest in New Horizons for Seniors Program projects that aim to reduce social isolation of seniors in communities across Canada. We welcome the opportunity to team up with innovative partners whose diverse knowledge, resources and collective experience will help us explore new and meaningful ways we can keep seniors active, engaged and informed."  – The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors)
"As the first Chinese Home for the Aged in Ontario, Mon Sheong has always been a visionary in elderly care within communities. We believe by providing a well-rounded scope of services, we are able to further delay the need of extended care for seniors. The New Horizons for Seniors Program is a very encouraging program for organizations like ours, as it echoes the philosophy of the Foundation by supporting programs led or inspired by seniors." – Tim Kwan, Chairman, the Mon Sheong Foundation
Associated Links

Backgrounder
New Horizons for Seniors Program
The New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) is a federal grants and contributions program that supports projects led or inspired by seniors who make a difference in the lives of others and their communities. Through the NHSP, the Government of Canada encourages seniors to share their knowledge, skills and experiences to the benefit of others.
The objectives of the NHSP are:
  • promoting volunteerism among seniors;
  • engaging seniors in the community through mentoring of others;
  • expanding awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse;
  • supporting social participation and inclusion of seniors; and
  • providing capital assistance for new and existing community projects and/or programs for seniors.
NHSP funding supports pan-Canadian and community-based projects.
Pan-Canadian projectsPan-Canadian projects funded through the 2015–2016 call for proposals will help to prevent and measurably reduce the rate of social isolation among seniors. Successful projects will be part of collaborative efforts to create this measurable change and will likely be geographically clustered. Each project will be up to three years in duration and funded between $150,000 and $750,000.
Community-based projectsCommunity-based project funding supports activities that engage seniors and address one or more of the program's five objectives: volunteering, mentoring, expanding awareness of elder abuse, social participation and capital assistance. These projects are eligible to receive up to $25,000 in grant funding per year, per organization. More than 1,850 projects were approved through the NHSP 2014–2015 Call for Proposals for Community-Based Projects.
For more information on the NHSP, visit Canada.ca/Seniors.
The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and its Innoweave initiative Established in 1937, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation has a mandate to enhance Canada's ability to address complex social, environmental and economic challenges. It does this by developing, testing and applying innovative approaches and solutions; by strengthening the community sector; and by collaborating with partners from various sectors—community, private, and public.
The Government of Canada is partnering with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and its Innoweave initiative to support NHSP pan-Canadian projects in the development, implementation and scaling of collaborative approaches that measurably reduce the rate of social isolation among seniors in a target population. For more information on the support available through Innoweave's Seniors SI program for NHSP pan-Canadian projects, please visit theInnoweave website.
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