Ontario vegetable producers to see new governance structure

Aug 23, 2017
By Kaitlynn Anderson
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

Board members to be elected under recent amendments to Regulation 441

Staff Reporter

Farms.com

The Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG) has a new governance structure, as detailed in the amendments to Regulation 441.

“I want to thank all those who took the time to submit their input during the 45-day public comment period, and am pleased that the Commission took public feedback into account,” Jeff Leal, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said in a statement on August 11.

“The Commission hopes that the governance changes will have a positive impact on the entire sector,” Jim Clark, chair of the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission, said in an email to Farms.com.

“The new board is expected to work in the best interest of the industry, and that includes helping to rebuild relationships between the board, growers and processors.”

The new governance structure will help foster an environment that embraces growth and innovation, he said.

The new board will consist of four elected members who will hold two-year terms, four Commission-appointed members who will hold one-year terms and one Commission-appointed Chair. The Chair will serve a two-year term, with a possibility for renewal for up to a maximum of 10 years.

Beginning in 2018, four of the eight members will be elected each year. This staggered-term structure allows for continuity and an opportunity for board renewal, according to a proposal from the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission.

Board members will be divided as follows:

Four members from District 1 (Essex and Kent Counties)
Two members from District 2 (Huron, Perth, Bruce, Lambton, Oxford, Middlesex, Hastings, Northumberland and Prince Edward Counties, and the Regional Municipality of Durham)
Two members from District 3 (Brant and Elgin Counties, and the Regional Municipalities of Haldimand-Norfolk and Niagara)

Under the revised regulation, there is a 12-year lifetime service limit – something that previously did not exist. Also, while members previously were able to serve unlimited successive one-year terms, they must now take a two-year break before becoming eligible for re-election after eight years of service.

The Commission is currently looking to appoint the board chair and board members.

Interested applicants must apply to the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission by Tuesday, September 5 at 4 p.m.

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