A former Saskatchewan agriculture minister was among 78 appointments to the Order of Canada announced by Governor General Mary Simon.
Lorne Hepworth, the current chair of the Agriculture Research Institute of Ontario, was recognized for his contributions to agriculture and research.
He was a farmer and veterinarian in Saskatchewan before entering provincial politics during Premier Grant Devine’s government, where he served in several portfolios until 1991.
After his political career, Hepworth moved to Ontario and began working with the Crop Protection Institute and Canadian Agra Group of Companies. He was instrumental in the formation of CropLife Canada and retired as its chief executive officer and president in 2014 after 17 years.
Hepworth has also served as chair of Genome Canada and the Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan. His involvement with other institutions includes the Canadian Council of Academies Expert Panel on Sustainable Management of Water in agricultural landscapes, the Scientific Advisory and Governance Committees of the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund, the advisory board of the National Research Council of Canada’s Plant Biotechnology Institute, the Canadian Agri-Food Research Council and the federal pest management and national biotechnology advisory committees.
Hepworth was appointed to the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2014 and received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2020.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is leading a 60-day public consultation to seek comments on the proposed implementation of a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) standard for municipal biosolids imported or sold in Canada as commercial fertilizers.
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