Government of Canada invests in co-operative cheese factory to modernize equipment and help grow markets

St. Albert, Ontario – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced an investment of up to $1.5 million under the Dairy Processing Investment Fund to St-Albert Cheese Co-operative while visiting the Cheese Factory Co-op today. The funding will be used to modernize equipment that will help the company improve its productivity and competitiveness.

 

This investment is part of an upgrade to St-Albert Cheese’s facilities, which will include state-of-the-art equipment that will enhance plant operations and help optimize the value of its by-products. This new equipment will help reduce the impact of power outages and effectively manage the performance of ventilation and humidity levels so refrigeration in the warehouses runs efficiently, enabling the company to increase the volume of milk product it processes while reducing production costs.

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.