National Launch of ALUS Canada, a Weston Family Initiative
On November 4, 2016, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation & ALUS Canada announced a new $5 million investment to support a groundbreaking agricultural/ environmental initiative.
Held on opening day of the 2016 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the national press conference was attended by the Weston family and more than 100 special guests from Toronto’s business community, philanthropic foundations, CSR professionals, leaders of ALUS programs from Alberta, Quebec and Ontario, and ALUS farmers and ranchers from across the nation.
The press conference was followed by a private afternoon tea reception at which guests tasted the fruit of ALUS participants’ labours, and learned more about the ALUS program and the exciting New Acre Project.
View our photo album, below.
The W. Garfield Weston Foundation announces $5M grant to launch ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative. From L to R: Tamara Rebanks (Chair of the Conservation Committee, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Mrs. Camilla Dalglish (Director, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Mr. W. Galen Weston (Chairman, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Bryan Gilvesy (CEO, ALUS Canada), Mrs. Nancy Baron (Director, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Dr. Andrew MacDougall (winner of the Weston Family Ecosystem Innovation Award), Gerry Taillieu (winner of the ALUS Canada Producer Innovation Award), Andrew McKee (President and Chairman of the Board of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair).
PRESS RELEASE
TORONTO, November 4, 2016 – The W. Garfield Weston Foundation and ALUS Canada proudly launched a significant new conservation effort now known as ALUS Canada, a Weston Family Initiative, today at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
The launch marks a generous $5 million investment from The W. Garfield Weston Foundation to help support ALUS Canada’s expansion across the country, along with its New Acre™ Project, which will offer a distinct and exclusive opportunity for North Americans to invest in projects that help drive positive environmental change.
A recognized leader in sustainability, ALUS Canada is a national program dedicated to supporting farmers and ranchers who produce clean air, clean water, pollinator habitat and other ecosystem services to help service communities across Canada. ALUS Canada offers a unique method for improving the environment, allowing farmers and ranchers to steward their land in a way that benefits all Canadians.
“We are delighted to announce today that The W. Garfield Weston Foundation will make a $5 million grant to ALUS Canada, an organization we have long supported,” said Tamara Rebanks, Chair of the Foundation’s Conservation Committee, at the November 4 press conference. “We believe strongly in the ALUS model, which delivers tens of thousands of acres of natural habitats by engaging Canadian farm communities.”
With 25,000 fairgoers, agricultural competitors and their farm animals providing an energetic backdrop, ALUS Canada’s CEO, Bryan Gilvesy, expressed how thrilled he was to partner with The W. Garfield Weston Foundation to help transform the Canadian landscape.
“As a Weston Initiative, ALUS Canada has been able to expand very rapidly,” he said. “We launched in Quebec this summer, bringing our program to six provinces, with more than 18,000 acres devoted to producing ecosystem services. We plan to open in Nova Scotia and in several more communities throughout Ontario and Alberta, with the aim of reaching 25,000 acres by the end of 2017.”
What’s more, says Gilvesy, ALUS’ launch of the New Acre™ Project will allow individuals and organizations to contribute to the ALUS program and obtain quantifiable environmental outcomes in return.
“It’s the first of its kind in North America,” said Gilvesy. “The New Acre™ Project will empower ordinary Canadians to make the difference they want to see in the world. If you want to have cleaner air, cleaner water and more biodiversity, you can make that happen by sponsoring New Acres.” The project will roll out over the coming months.
Guest speakers included Andrew McKee, President and Chairman of the Board of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, who noted that The Royal and ALUS share a common passion for agriculture.
“With the support of the Weston family, we expect ALUS will play an invaluable role in ensuring that the wildlife and natural spaces so important to agriculture will be preserved, to the benefit of all,” said McKee.
In celebration of the launch, two special awards were presented to honour leaders from the ALUS program with a $10,000 prize.
Camilla Dalglish, Director of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, presented the Weston Family Ecosystem Innovation Award to Dr. Andrew MacDougall, a Professor at the University of Guelph, in recognition of his innovative research work in pollinators and biodiversity, using as his laboratory vast swaths of tallgrass prairie, established by ALUS Norfolk in southwestern Ontario.
A second honour went to Gerry Taillieu, the manager of a 14,000-acre ranch west of Edmonton, Alberta. Taillieu was presented with the ALUS Canada Producer Innovation Award for his outstanding commitment to land stewardship producing ecological services through the ALUS program.
“I’m humbled and honoured to be recognized with this award,” said Taillieu, an ALUS Parkland participant and committee member, “but I can tell you that I’m not unique. I believe that the desire to look after your own land is almost universal. ALUS helps you take that concern and put it into action.”
The W. Garfield Weston Foundation is a private Canadian family foundation established in the 1950s by Willard Garfield Weston, his wife Reta and their children. Today the Foundation directs the majority of its funds to projects in the fields of land conservation, education, and scientific research in Canada’s North. The Foundation also provides funds to further Canada’s research in neuroscience.
ALUS Canada is a national program that funds farmers and ranchers producing cleaner air, cleaner water, pollinator habitat and other ecosystem services in their communities. As a recent Clean50 and Alberta Emerald award winner – and ranked among the exclusive Clean16 – ALUS Canada is a leader in sustainability and is dedicated to conserving our environment, one acre at a time.
Photos by Laura Berman, Greenfuse Photography
Welcome to the national launch of ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative, on November 4, 2016, opening day of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, in Toronto.
The W. Garfield Weston Foundation announces $5M grant to launch ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative. From L to R: Tamara Rebanks (Chair of the Conservation Committee, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Mrs. Camilla Dalglish (Director, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Mr. W. Galen Weston (Chairman, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Bryan Gilvesy (CEO, ALUS Canada), Mrs. Nancy Baron (Director, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Dr. Andrew MacDougall (winner of the Weston Family Ecosystem Innovation Award), Gerry Taillieu (winner of the ALUS Canada Producer Innovation Award), Andrew McKee (President and Chairman of the Board of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair).
Mrs. Camilla Dalglish (Director, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation) and Mr. W. Galen Weston (Chairman, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation) celebrate the launch of ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative, with Bryan Gilvesy (CEO, ALUS Canada). Right: Mrs. Nancy Baron (Director, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto .
Stationed at the ALUS Canada welcome desk, Casey Whitelock (ALUS Norfolk) and Alyssa Cousineau (ALUS Elgin) check the guest list for the launch of ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative, at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto.
Audience of 120 people at our November 4, 2016, press conference announcing The W. Garfield Weston Foundation’s $5M grant to launch ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative.
Tamara Rebanks, Director of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, announces a $5 million grant to ALUS Canada at a national press conference on November 4, 2016, officially launching ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto. “We like the fact that all ALUS projects are based on scientific principles and support Canadian communities,” said Rebanks.
Bryan Gilvesy, CEO of ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative, thanks The W. Garfield Weston Foundation for their significant support over the years, including their new $5M grant, at a press conference at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto. “The W. Garfield Weston Foundation has been innovative in supporting ALUS to become an agent of change,” he said.
Mr. W. Galen Weston (Chairman, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Mrs. Camilla Dalglish (Director, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation) and Bryan Gilvesy (CEO, ALUS Canada). mark the national launch ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto.
ALUS Parkland participant Gerry Taillieu, manager of the 14,000-acre Tomahawk Cattle Ranch near Edmonton, Alberta, won the $10,000 ALUS Canada Producer Innovation Award for his outstanding commitment to land stewardship producing ecological services through the ALUS program. “I’m humbled and honoured to be recognized with this award, but I can tell you that I’m not unique. I believe that the desire to look after your own land is almost universal. ALUS helps you take that concern and put it into action,” said Taillieu.
Mrs. Camilla Dalglish, Director of The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, presented the Weston Family Ecosystem Innovation Award, worth $10,000, to Dr. Andrew MacDougall, a Professor at the University of Guelph , in recognition of his innovative research work in pollinators and biodiversity, using as his laboratory vast swaths of tallgrass prairie, established by ALUS Norfolk in southwestern Ontario. Left: Andrew McKee, Board Chairman of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
Two special, $10,000 awards were presented in honour of the national launch of ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative. On right: Winner of the ALUS Canada Producer Innovation Award, Gerry Taillieu (ALUS Parkland, Tomahawk Ranch, Alberta). On left: winner of the Weston Family Ecosystem Innovation Award, Dr. Andrew MacDougall (University of Guelph, Ontario). In centre: ALUS Canada CEO Bryan Gilvesy.
The 2016 ALUS Canada Producer Innovation Award, presented to Gerry Taillieu.
The 2016 Weston Family Ecosystem Innovation Award, presented to Dr. Andrew MacDougall.
Afternoon tea buffet table featuring ALUS farm-fresh ingredients and showcasing products from ALUS participants, at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Toronto.
Home-grown ALUS jams and ALUS honey served at the tea were donated by ALUS Norfolk and ALUS Elgin producers such as The New New Age and Blueberry Hill Estates.
Our beautiful natural Tallgrass Prairie centrepieces were grown, picked, dried and arranged by Lindsay Buchanan, our ALUS Lambton coordinator, who with husband Rob runs Ontario NativeScape.
Steve and Anita Buehner are not only ALUS Norfolk participants but also the ALUS Canada poster children! That is the Buehners you see on our banners and postcards! Speaking at the afternoon tea reception, Anita Buehner of Bonnieheath Estate Lavender & Winery explained the wonderful benefits of the ALUS program for the farmer on the ground.
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is a venerable Canadian institution that has recognized excellence in agriculture for generations. Many outstanding and innovative ALUS participants have competed at the Royal, and we are proud to display some of their awards at our ALUS launch, held on opening day of the Royal, 2016.
The large framed Royal Fair award on display at the reception was won by ALUS Norfolk participant Richard Czerlau of Mill Road Farms and Dover Vineyards (Rapscallion Wine Company) in Port Dover, Ontario. He won this “Best in Show, white wine” award for his Smoke & Gamble Chardonnay, as well as a bronze medal for Smoke & Gamble Cab/Merlot and for Frisky Beaver white (2015). Czerlau is an ALUS Norfolk participant with three ALUS projects on his land. Why is he an ALUS participant? “The ALUS program has allowed us to begin re-generating the forest bordering our productive land, beginning the process of re-growth for future generations,” says Czerlau.
One of the Royal Fair awards on display was won by ALUS Elgin participants and PAC members Rudy Pilz and Diane Lynn Ayotte, of Whisperwind Farms in West Lorne, Ontario. Pilz and Ayotte won a gold medal for their cow “OB Star” in 2000 (wooden plaque at the back of the photo), and also won the green and white 5th place ribbon for “Molly Finbar’s Hitter” (see the photo of their champion cow on the left). They have eight acres enrolled in ALUS, including wetland enhancement, tallgrass prairie and wildlife corridor reforestation.
Some of the Royal Fair awards on display were won by our own ALUS Grey-Bruce assistant coordinator Joni Reid. Representing Cattodale Farms in County of Grey, Ontario, Joni won a fifth place ribbon for Intermediate Showman at the Royal in 1999, and participation ribbons in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. “I always felt it was an honour to be part of the Royal. I was pretty proud to come in fifth!” says Joni.
ALUS Canada Communications Director Bridget Wayland shares a laugh with ALUS Board Chair Chip Pitfield and National PR representative Diana McLachlan, just prior to the press conference.
Lara Ellis, Director of Strategic Initiatives at ALUS Canada, with Reeve Daryl Watt (Chair, ALUS CVR) and Aaron Freeman of Pivot Strategic Consulting.
Josh Wise of Ontario Nature, and Bob and Sue Desautels of The Neighbourhood Group of Companies, receive their exciting ALUS gift bags at the reception following the press conference. These gift bags were bursting with farm-fresh goodies donated by ALUS participants across Ontario. Thank you, ALUS Norfolk, The New New Age, Bonnieheath Estate Lavender & Winery, M&R Orchards, Smoke & Gamble, Burning Kiln Winery, Blueberry Hill Estates, ALUS Grey-Bruce, ALUS Elgin & ALUS Lambton!
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