Grain commission will use surplus to avoid new fee increases

The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) will continue to use its surplus to cover budget shortfalls and avoid potential fee increases until 2028.

The decision builds on previous measures to bring down costs for the Canadian grain sector while ensuring programs and services continue to deliver results to producers and industry.

Chief Commissioner David Hunt said CGC is committed to being part of the success and sustainability of Canadian agriculture.

“We recognize the grain sector is going through a period of economic stress and want to do our part to keep costs down while ensuring we continue to deliver results to producers and industry,” he said.

CGC operates as a revolving fund, charging service fees to fund most of its operations. Currently, fees are not sufficient to cover costs.

The Canadian Grain Commission previously announced it would use surplus funds to cover expected operating shortfalls until 2027.

This means potential fee changes will be postponed for another year to April 1, 2028.

In support of the government’s priority to spend less on operations, CGC has committed to finding and implementing cost-saving measures ahead of potential fee changes.