14 October 2025 LOGOS: CANADIAN WOOL CERTIFICATION | ALLEY CAT YARN - WABI SABI YARN PHOTO 15 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca NEW CANADIAN WOOL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM ARTICLE BY JULIE HARLOW & CANADIAN WOOL CERTIFICATION Fibre & Forge in Abbotsford, British Columbia has breed specific, small batch, pure wool yarn on offer. Briggs & Little Woolen Mills Ltd., Harvey, York Co., New Brunswick is Canada’s oldest woolen mill producing classic Canadian yarn and wool products. In Manitoba, Christel Lanthier of Ferme Fiola Farm produces sheep-specific yarn and felted goods. These products are made from the wool of her flock of Romney, Rideau Arcott, Rambouillet and CVM sheep. Despite the distance between these wool producers and millers, they all have something in common. All of them display a small, but significant symbol on their labels: the profile of a sheep with the words, “100% Canadian Wool: Grown & Milled.” This symbol offers assurance that the product is 100 per cent pure Canadian wool that was both grown and processed in Canada. The Canadian Wool Certification Program and the initial Tier 1 certification was launched by the Canadian Wool Collective (CWC) last year. The CWC are now offering two additional levels under their certification program. The CWC is a national grassroots non-profit with a mandate to identify, authenticate and promote Canadian wool. The Canadian Wool Certification Program is a three-tiered system. Tier 1 certifies a product is 100 per cent pure Canadian grown and processed wool. The Tier 1 certification was launched in August of 2024. Tier 2 certifies a product is 100 per cent Canadian grown but not processed in Canada. Tier 2 certifications were launched in January of 2025. Tier 3 certifies fibre blends contain a minimum of 50 per cent Canadian wool. This latest certification tier was launched in June of 2025. Others fibre producers, like Alley Cat Yarns in Ottawa, carry a Tier 2 certified wool product certification. While some of their product is Canadian farmed and milled, others are farmed and/or milled in other countries. On the west coast of British Columbia, New Wave Fibre’s signature yarn is Tier 3, and certified with 90 per cent bluefaced Leicester wool from Vancouver Island blended with 10 per cent Alberta alpaca fibre. The development of the certification program is the result of many Canadian wool producers and enthusiasts coming together with a passion for wool fibre and the woolly creatures that produce it. They are working to bring awareness to an incredible resource, that has often been thrown away or considered of little value in recent years. As more farms, processors and entrepreneurs become certified across the country, consumers will become increasingly familiar with Canadian wool products, and the individuals and businesses that produce them. SHAUNA MCKENNA The Canadian Wool Collective (CWC) not only have a certification system they also have a well-developed support system which includes monthly virtual meetings. They discuss matters of the Collective and feature presentations from their members. Shauna McKenna, from the Ottawa region, presented recently and explained her reasons for joining the CWC. McKenna started out as a “horse person” when she attended Kemptville College but has since developed her passion for sheep. When it was time to get educated she did the Master Shepherds course with Ontario Sheep. She then acquired seven well bred ewes. With no structure ready for them, she initially put the ewes with her horses. Step by step McKenna, with the help of her mother, is building her flock and her business of needle felted greeting cards, batts and other products using the amazing fibre that comes from her flock. The fibre aspect of raising sheep “is so positive” as other producers and Collective members are very willing to share knowledge and ideas. She has learned that keeping her flock happy and healthy is crucial as it “shows up in their fleece.” McKenna’s mother is a true partner and helps with shearing and lambing as well as skirting and washing the fleece. Re-valuing wool is not for the faint of heart, as McKenna demonstrates and is working toward raising and processing wool full-time. She also recently purchased a carder from British Columbia and has her eye and ambitions on more milling equipment in the future. In this too she draws much knowledge and inspiration from the Canadian Wool Collective. A list of certified producers and their products can be found at canadianwool.org. CERTIFIED CANADIAN @crooked.fence.farm.and.fiber TIER 1 TIER 2 TIER 3 Fibre & Forge British Columbia Alley Cat Yarns Ontario Ferme Fiola Farm Manitoba Briggs & Little Woolen Mills New Brunswick New Wave Fibre British Columbia
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