Closed
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture (ON)
Small food businesses like ice cream shops currently can't use delivery apps like Uber Eats or DoorDash without getting a full dairy plant licence. Why? An old rule says milk products must stay "under their control" until they reach you. Ontario...
Why This Matters: Love ordering ice cream or artisan cheese to your door? This could mean more local shops on your favourite delivery apps. Small business owners who make dairy treats from already-pasteurized ingredients would save time and money by skipping the full dairy plant licensing process.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Economy & Jobs
Closed
Alberta Health (AB)
After an E. coli outbreak at Calgary daycares in 2023, Alberta is rethinking food safety rules. The government wants to know if restaurants should display inspection grades—like the letter grades you see in some cities. They're also considering a...
Why This Matters: Eat out? Order takeout? This affects you. Inspection grades would let you see how clean a restaurant's kitchen is before you order. Parents with kids in daycare should pay attention too—this started because of a serious outbreak that made children sick.
Policy & Studies
Agriculture & Food
Health & Safety
Closed
Health Canada (Federal)
Health Canada wants to change how it approves infant formula and medical foods for babies. Right now, all products go through the same review process. The proposal would create three tiers based on risk—lower-risk products could skip pre-market...
Why This Matters: Have a baby or planning to? This affects what formula and specialized infant foods make it to store shelves. Parents of infants with special dietary needs—like premature babies needing human milk fortifiers—could see faster access to new products. But the trade-off is less government review upfront...
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Health & Safety
Closed
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Federal)
The emerald ash borer has killed millions of ash trees across North America and continues to spread. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency asked Canadians how to update regulations controlling the movement of ash wood products. The agency favored...
Why This Matters: Got a cottage? Like camping? This affects you. Moving firewood is one of the main ways this beetle spreads. New rules could change where you can take wood and what you can burn. Ash trees are common in backyards, parks, and forests across Eastern Canada—and they're dying fast.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Environment & Climate
Closed
Ministry of Affordability and Utilities (AB)
Alberta asked stakeholders how to balance renewable energy projects with protecting farmland. The government wants to keep productive agricultural land available for food production while still allowing solar and wind development. This engagement...
Why This Matters: Own farmland in Alberta? This could affect what you can do with it. Live in a rural area? You might see more solar panels and wind turbines—or fewer, depending on the rules. Food prices could be affected if productive farmland gets converted to energy production.
Policy & Studies
Agriculture & Food
Environment & Climate
Natural Resources
Closed
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (ON)
A greenhouse operation in Leamington wants to expand its stormwater management system. Grace Family Farms is adding drainage pipes, swales, and expanding a wet pond for their phase 2 greenhouse development. The overflow would discharge into the...
Why This Matters: Live near County Road 18 or 19 in Leamington? This expansion could affect local drainage patterns. If you're downstream on the Jacob Fox Drain, more stormwater will flow your way during heavy rains.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Environment & Climate
Closed
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (ON)
A greenhouse operation in Niagara-on-the-Lake wants approval for a new stormwater management pond. The pond would collect rainwater from greenhouse roofs and release it into a municipal drain that flows to Lake Ontario. The province says the...
Why This Matters: Live near Concession 7 Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake? This pond would discharge into the Bergman Municipal Drain right next door. If you rely on local water sources or farm nearby, you might want to weigh in.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Environment & Climate
Closed
Department of Environment (PE)
Prince Edward Island asked residents whether farmers should get more access to groundwater for irrigation. The province released a discussion document proposing new rules under the Water Act. Public comments focused heavily on concerns about nitrate...
Why This Matters: Get your drinking water from a well? PEI's groundwater already has nitrate contamination problems, especially in potato-growing areas. This decision affects whether more water gets pumped out for irrigation. Some residents worry it could make drinking water quality worse.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Environment & Climate
Health & Safety
Closed
Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas (AB)
Alberta asked residents how to improve water availability as the province grows. The two-phase engagement gathered ideas on updating the Water Act. Feedback shaped Bill 7, which aims to streamline permits, allow rainwater collection, and make it...
Why This Matters: Water touches everything in Alberta—your tap, your farm, your job. Population growth and climate variability are straining the system. This engagement shaped new rules that could affect how you collect rainwater, how businesses access water, and whether water can be moved to drought-hit areas.
Legislation
Agriculture & Food
Environment & Climate
Natural Resources
Closed
Treasury Board and Finance (AB)
Alberta asked farmers and commercial fuel users whether to stop using red-dyed fuel for tax exemptions. Right now, dyed fuel signals you're eligible for a lower tax rate. The proposal would have applied the discount to regular clear fuel instead...
Why This Matters: If you're a farmer or run a business that uses tax-exempt fuel, this could have changed how you buy and track your fuel. The current system with dyed fuel stays in place, so no changes to your routine.
Policy & Studies
Agriculture & Food
Finance & Consumer
Closed
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (AB)
Alberta asked whether to tighten rules for on-farm slaughter operations. These licences let farmers slaughter animals for customers who buy them live—but the meat can't be sold in stores. The government says some operations are slaughtering far more...
Why This Matters: Buy meat directly from a local farm? This affects you. The government wants to crack down on operations that may be skirting food safety rules. For small farmers, stricter limits could mean less income. For consumers, it's about knowing your food is safe.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Health & Safety
Closed
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (AB)
Alberta gathered input on whether to require recycling of farm plastics like baler twine, grain bags, and silage wrap. Right now, recycling these materials is voluntary and limited. A regulatory approach would make producers responsible for managing...
Why This Matters: If you're a farmer or rancher, you know the headache of dealing with used grain bags and baler twine. There's nowhere good to put them. This could mean proper recycling options finally come to rural Alberta—but it might also add costs that get passed along.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Environment & Climate
Closed
Health Canada (Federal)
Health Canada wants to create a permanent backup plan for when infant formula and special diet foods run short. Right now, Canada relies on temporary policies to allow imports of foreign products during shortages. This proposal would make that...
Why This Matters: Have a baby who needs special formula? Know someone with a metabolic disorder who depends on specific foods? Canada's small market and limited suppliers make us vulnerable to shortages. The 2022-2023 infant formula crisis showed what happens when supply chains break down. This rule would help...
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Health & Safety
Closed
Veterinary Drugs Directorate (Federal)
Health Canada asked for feedback on updating how it ranks antibiotics used in farm animals. Why does this matter? Some antibiotics are critical for treating human infections. When they're overused in livestock, bacteria can become resistant—making...
Why This Matters: Ever taken antibiotics for a serious infection? Their effectiveness depends partly on how they're used in agriculture. Overuse in farm animals breeds resistant bacteria that can spread to humans. This ranking system helps decide which antibiotics get restricted in livestock—protecting the drugs you...
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Health & Safety
Closed
Environment and Climate Change Canada (Federal)
A company wants to bring gene-edited pigs to Canada that can't catch PRRS, a devastating virus that kills piglets and costs farmers millions. The pigs had a tiny piece of their DNA removed—no foreign genes added—so the virus can't latch on. The...
Why This Matters: Eat pork? This could affect what ends up on your plate. PRRS costs the global pork industry billions annually and there's no effective treatment. If approved, these disease-resistant pigs could mean healthier herds, fewer antibiotics, and potentially more stable pork prices. But some Canadians have...
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food
Environment & Climate
Health & Safety
Closed
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Federal)
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency wants to update decades-old seed regulations. The goal? Cut red tape for seed businesses, speed up approvals for new crop varieties, and better protect farmers from low-quality seed. This consultation gathered...
Why This Matters: Farmers depend on quality seed to grow the food Canadians eat. Faster variety approvals could mean better crops reaching fields sooner. Tighter rules on common seed protect farmers from buying duds. If you eat food grown in Canada, this affects your plate.
Regulations & Permits
Agriculture & Food