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Grassroots Forum - Update
APRIL GRASSROOTS FORUM With CFFO
The April 2025 edition of the Grassroots Forum was held on April 16ᵗʰ.
Topics on the Agenda were:
1. Veterinaries in Ontario
a. An update about the current shortage of large veterinarians in Ontario, CFFO director of
research and policy, Suzanne Armstrong, informed the meeting of the change at the College being
renamed to the College of Veterinary Professionals, this is to bring in the new Veterinary
Professionals act into effect. Consultations are still open to this new approach.
b. Members were pleased that the pregnancy testing for sheep and goats is not restricted to
veterinarians only, but technicians are also able to continue to perform this work.
c. Discussion continued about the regional lack of large animal vets in Ontario.
2. An update of the work being done by the Protecting Farmland and Farmers Task Force was given by
the committee chair Erik Lanozzo. This has become a much bigger task than anticipated, however the
committee has worked well together and is currently preparing a statement which should be shared
with members and the government.
3. Strong Mayor Powers
a. Discussion was held on the recent news that the provincial government is expanding the mayor
powers to 169 more municipalities.
b. Members expressed concern that assessments and other processes may be overlooked when
developments are requested.
c. There is also concern for political favoritism.
4. Partner Presentation
a. A presentation by Second Harvest, a new partner with CFFO, informed the meeting of its efforts
in collecting discarded food and distributing it to areas where there is a need for providing food
assistance.
b. The presentation was very informative, explaining the current situation in Canada regarding food
availability to people/families.
5. Federal Election topics
a. The floor was opened for members to give their thoughts on what some of the issues relating to
agriculture should be brought to the foreground. Trade with the US was a big topic.
b. Interprovincial trade was also discussed, with the hope that the removal of some of these
barriers would improve trade within Canada.
Next Grassroots Forum is Scheduled for Wednesday July 16, 2025.
1pm - 3pm EST