A pig for adoption Tuesday, August 4, 2009 Wiggles, the baby weaner pig found injured at the side of Highway 401 by a motorist and spirited to the offices of Toronto Humane Society, was big news last spring – at least until that office was caught up in a scandal after a newspaper investigation alleged that animals there weren't well cared for and the overseeing Ontario SPCA yanked the society's powers to investigate. Ian McConachie, spokes-person for the Humane Society, did not immediately return telephone calls about the current state of the piglet. A television news clip on the society's website shows the piglet, two weeks after she underwent extensive surgery for a badly broken back right leg, enjoying a scratch from a society worker. Meanwhile, Toronto isn't the only place with a soft spot for pigs. This spring the Peninsula Humane Society, near San Diego, Calif., was offering a 40-pound pig for adoption. Cost? $25. The female Hampshire, named Mercedes, had been found wandering and was dropped off after being driven to the shelter in a luxury automobile. The California shelter's website warned perspective owners that, like a dog, Mercedes could live to be 12 years old. Unlike a dog, she could grow to several hundred pounds in weight. Her ideal home, according to the animal adoption agency, would be a large enclosed yard with protection from the elements and regular access to mud for cooling. Isn't California the state that just banned some commercial methods of raising pigs for welfare reasons? Could Ontario be next? Hmmm . . . How do you say 'milk the cows' in Spanish? Red Fife returns to its Otonabee roots
Saskatchewan Startup Unveils Portable Device to Detect Crop Diseases in the Field Friday, May 29, 2026 With global crop losses from pests and diseases reaching as high as 40 percent annually, a Saskatchewan-based startup is working to equip farmers with faster, more practical tools to protect their yields. PathoScan Technologies, founded in Saskatoon, has developed a portable... Read this article online
Falling Behind on Direct Alcohol Shipping Deadline Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada’s small alcohol producers are growing increasingly frustrated as a promised timeline for direct-to-consumer (DTC) alcohol shipping reforms approaches with little visible progress. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling out federal and provincial... Read this article online
Rural Canada Is Critical to Trade, Food Security and Economic Recovery Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada is facing global instability, affordability pressures and growing urgency to rebuild its economic foundations. Rural Canada is one of the country’s most important economic assets. Although only about 16% to 18% of Canadians live in rural communities, leaders say those regions... Read this article online
Feds say Provinces Need to Act on Interprovincial Alcohol Sales Friday, May 29, 2026 Canada’s federal government is intensifying pressure on provinces and territories to complete negotiations and implement direct-to-consumer alcohol sales, a move expected to benefit agricultural producers, small businesses, and consumers across the country. The statement comes out... Read this article online
$15.1M to Scale Whole-Cut Plant-Based Protein Wednesday, May 27, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced a $15.1 million co-investment in a multi-partner project aimed at scaling advanced manufacturing technology for whole-cut protein alternatives and strengthening Canada’s domestic agri-food value chain. The initiative brings together NS/TX... Read this article online