ALUS Canada and MPP Toby Barrett hosted a special reception at Queen’s Park on March 2019 in support of ALUS in Ontario.
Welcome to “A Taste of ALUS,” featuring Ontario-grown food and drink brought to you by ALUS farmers and ranchers, producing cleaner air, cleaner water and more wildlife habitat for Ontario’s communities.
A special reception at Queen’s Park on March 19, 2019, brought together approximately 25 Ontario MPPs from all parties, ALUS supporters, partners, participants and community leaders.
The “A Taste of ALUS” event included representatives of seven ALUS communities in Ontario and featured delicious, farm-fresh food and drink produced by ALUS farmers and ranchers.
It was an excellent opportunity for Ontario’s elected representatives to learn more about how ALUS can help communities across the province meet their environmental targets.
Acting as emcee, ALUS Canada’s CEO, Bryan Gilvesy, introduced ALUS Canada, A Weston Family Initiative, a national charitable organization whose program supports farmers and ranchers who produce cleaner air, cleaner water, more biodiversity and other ecosystem services in their communities.
“We believe in farmers as solution-providers for many of our environmental problems. The solutions lie in rural communities and in farmers and ranchers,” said Gilvesy.
Strong attendance at the ALUS reception reflected the popularity of a private member’s bill, in support of ALUS, introduced by Toby Barrett (the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPP for Haldimand- Norfolk, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry).
The man of the hour, MPP Toby Barrett (centre), greets guests at a reception reflecting the popularity of Barrett’s Bill 28 in support of ALUS, which received unanimous support upon its second reading in the provincial legislature. “I proposed this legislation to raise awareness of the benefits of the ALUS approach, and was quite heartened that MPPs of all stripes supported the bill,” said Barrett.
Bill 28 has received unanimous support upon its second reading in the provincial legislature. [Read more here.]
“I proposed this legislation to raise awareness of the benefits of the ALUS approach,” said MPP Barrett, “and was quite heartened that MPPs of all stripes supported the bill.”
Fittingly, the speakers at this event also included Mike Schreiner (Leader of the Green Party of Ontario and MPP for Guelph), John Fraser (Interim Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and MPP for Ottawa South), the Hon. John Yakabuski (Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPP for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke), and Paul Miller (Ontario New Democratic Party MPP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek).
The Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, Mike Schreiner (MPP for Guelph), has been a staunch ally of ALUS for many years, as has MPP Toby Barrett (on left) and many Ontario representatives from all parties.
“ALUS Canada is proud to be a community-developed, farmer-delivered program,” said Gilvesy. “Each ALUS community is strong and unique, determining its own priorities while benefitting from a shared set of ALUS principles and a central support system.”
There are now eight ALUS communities in southern Ontario, located between Cornwall, Windsor and Tobermory. Representatives of these ALUS communities helped host the “A Taste of ALUS” event and, as a special treat, provided a generous sampling of their own, Ontario farm-grown food and drink.
ALUS Canada was very pleased to welcome some key supporters to the event, including Jennifer Canham (Program Director, Conservation) from The W. Garfield Weston Foundation, ALUS Canada’s primary financial partner, as well as Carolyn Scotchmer (Executive Director, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation) and Helen McLean (Executive Director, Donner Foundation). The ALUS program is supported through a blend of philanthropic funding and government grants, with a new foray into corporate sponsorships through the New Acre™ Project.
The ALUS program is supported through a blend of philanthropic funding, government grants and corporate sponsorships. ALUS is grateful for strong support in Ontario and across Canada. From L to R: Bryan Gilvesy (CEO, ALUS Canada), Jennifer Canham (Program Director, Conservation, The W. Garfield Weston Foundation), Carolyn Scotchmer (Executive Director, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation), Alyssa Cousineau (Program Coordinator, ALUS Elgin)
Many of ALUS’ important strategic partners were also in attendance, including Don Ciparis (Board Member for Ontario, National Farmers Union), Jo-Anne Rzadki (Business Development and Partnerships, Conservation Ontario), Judy Maxwell (General Manager, Long Point Region Conservation Authority), Dr. Andrew MacDougall and his students (MacDougall Ecology Lab, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph), Emma Horrigan (Conservation Science Coordinator, Ontario Nature), and Mike Collins-Williams (Director of Policy, Ontario Home Builders Association).
The Queen’s Park event brought together many diverse stakeholders, highlighting that the beauty of ALUS lies in its strong partnerships. At its root, the ALUS program supports synergies between farmers, communities and the environment, with many benefits for all stakeholders.
ALUS in Ontario was well represented at Queens Park. From L to R: Doug McGee (ALUS Lambton PAC Chair), Lynn Bishop (ALUS Canada), Bryan Gilvesy (ALUS Canada), Katherine Balpataky (ALUS Canada), Simon DeBoer (ALUS Grey Bruce PAC Chair), Joe Csoff (ALUS Norfolk PAC Chair), Lara Ellis (ALUS Canada), Casey Whitelock (ALUS Canada), Henry Bakker (ALUS Peterborough coordinator), Michelle Primus (ALUS Canada), Jake Lozon (ALUS Lambton staff), Cory VanGronigan (ALUS Norfolk participant). Also in attendance were representatives of ALUS Elgin, ALUS Middlesex and ALUS Chatham-Kent (not in this photo).
It’s a formula that is working. Nearly 400 Ontario farmers have already chosen to become ALUS participants, and to transform more than 3,100 acres of marginal land into wetland, grassland and woodland projects.
All these ALUS projects produce important ecosystem services that directly benefit rural communities across the province. For instance, ALUS projects in Ontario not only sequester carbon in the soil to produce cleaner air, but also reduce phosphorus to produce cleaner water in our lakes and rivers, and increase wildlife habitat and biodiversity in our communities.
“ALUS’ environmental impact is growing quickly, and with widespread support, it will continue to grow,” said Gilvesy. “In Ontario, and all across this nation, ALUS farmers and ranchers are part of the solution for improving the environment for Canadians.”
Click here to view more photos (photo album on our Facebook page).
Read more about ALUS in Ontario in this downloadable PDF: Backgrounder-ALUS in Ontario-March 2019
Putting ALUS on the map in Ontario: There are currently eight ALUS communities in Ontario, located between Cornwall, Windsor and Tobermory.
