Finding greenhouse gas solutions

Mar 25, 2019

Placing a tax on Canadians isn’t a good way to manage climate change, Megz Reynolds said

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Canada’s federal government should find a different way of managing climate change rather than taxing its citizens, a federal Conservative candidate said.

A plan that promotes adaptability to climate change is better, said Megz Reynolds. She is seeking the Conservative Party’s nomination in the riding of Cypress Hills – Grasslands for this year’s federal election.

In the second part of a two-part interview with Farms.com, Reynolds discusses how a federal government should approach climate change, as well as some of the pressing issues facing the Canadian ag industry.

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.