Le réseau alimentaire : les agroentreprises canadiennes et le droit en matière d'alimentation

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Cannabis Legalization and Farm Safety Considerations

The occupational health and safety risks associated with farming have long been known.  The introduction of recreational (legalized) cannabis, which will take effect on October 17, 2018, adds uncertainty for farmers, even if they are not part of the cannabis...

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Securing Water Rights: Analyzing the Water Act, Case Law and Lessons for Lenders in Alberta

Water rights vary from province to province; in Alberta water rights are primarily covered by the Water Act (the “Act”).[1] Under the Act, there are three primary ways that an agricultural business may divert water: Water License Exempted Agriculture User...

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Pacific Agriculture Show 2018

Once again Miller Thomson was present at this year’s Pacific Agriculture Show that took place at Tradex in Abbotsford, British Columbia from January 25 to 27, 2018. Miller Thomson lawyers manned the booth for three days reaching out and connecting...

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Another Harsh Lesson Learned Under the Farm Debt Mediation Act – This Time by a Landlord: HCI Ventures Ltd. v. S.O.L. Acres (2017 SKQB 264)

Introduction In a previous Food Web post entitled Things You May Not Know About the Farm Debt Mediation Act, we discussed several aspects of how the federal Farm Debt Mediation Act (referred to throughout as the “FDMA” or the “Act”)...

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Mario Côté inc. v. Canada (Attorney General), 2017 FCA 36, leave to appeal to SCC refused, 37526 (November 9, 2017)

The Plaintiff Mario Coté inc. (“MCI”), a trucking company specializing in the transport of farmed pigs in Quebec, applied to the Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal (CART) for review of 12 Notices of Violation and administrative penalties issued under the Health...

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La Loi de mise en œuvre de l’AÉCG entre en vigueur et accorde une protection à des indications géographiques supplémentaires

La Loi portant mise en œuvre de l’Accord économique et commercial global entre le Canada et l’Union européenne est en majeure partie entrée en vigueur le 21 septembre 2017. Entre autres, cette loi étend la protection accordée aux indications géographiques (IG) et...

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Farm Succession Planning: Can Unpaid Farm Work Give Children an Interest in the Family Farm?

The answer to this question is likely “no” in most provinces except where the farm chores amount to “exploitation”, or a provincial statute varies general common law rules. A recent British Columbia Court of Appeal decision, McDonald v. McDonald, 2017...

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Event Announcement – Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show

CANADA’S OUTDOOR FARM SHOW – September 12, 13 & 14, 2017 (Woodstock, Ontario) Miller Thomson LLP is again looking forward to being a part of the 24th annual Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show. Please come by our booth to say hello or...

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What Would Yoda Say? Absolute Liability for Undue Animal Suffering During Transport

The Courts have observed that Canada’s Health of Animals Regulations, which are enforced by the CFIA, may sometimes operate in “draconian ways”.  Everyone involved in the transportation of livestock is at risk of being penalized if animals are injured or...

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Restricted Farm Losses: The Plight of the Part-Time Farmer

Introduction Not just anyone can become a farmer; yet many Canadians aspire to transfer from their existing occupation into farming. The challenge with said aspiration is that starting up a farm business is difficult, and though the federal government provides...

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