by: Shawn Brenn and Alison Robertso
This is the second year that, as chair and as executive director, we are teaming up to provide a joint report – from the leadership of the OFVGA – to you, our members.
Although the board and staff have distinct roles and responsibilities, we work closely together to collaborate and support the work this organization does on behalf of growers.
Strategic planning
We have spent the last year working on a strategic planning initiative to help chart OFVGA’s course for the next several years. We appreciate the many OFVGA members and stakeholders who participated in this process over the past year.
We are proud of how far this organization has come in the past 10 years in terms of our stability, capacity and expertise, and the respect and relationships we’ve been able to establish inside and outside the industry. Our new strategic plan builds on this, amplifying the work we are already doing as well as identifying new opportunities and ways we can have an even stronger presence in four key areas: advocacy, partnerships, governance and member engagement, and communications.
Building and growing government relationships
In 2025, we welcomed Trevor Jones as our new minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, while his predecessor, Rob Flack moved to Municipal Affairs and Housing. We appreciate the ongoing positive working relationships with both ministers and their willingness to engage with OFVGA on issues impacting growers.
In November 2025, we hosted our annual advocacy day at Queen’s Park, where we highlighted two major issues in particular: accelerating the rollout of the remaining Risk Management Program/Self-Directed Risk Management (RMP/SDRM) funding and clearing the path for more on-farm worker housing. We welcomed the chance to meet with both Minister Jones and Minister Flack and also received support from the agriculture critics and leaders of opposition parties for issues that matter to growers.
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