Whereas the buy-Canada initiative is stronger than ever, and food retailers and food-related businesses are seeking and supporting products (both raw and processed) from Canadian manufacturers, according to data from Agri-Food Canada; and
Whereas in 2022, the food and beverage processing industry was the largest manufacturing industry in Canada in terms of value of production, with sales of goods manufactured worth $156.5 billion; it accounted for 18.2% of total manufacturing sales and 1.7% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It's also the largest manufacturing employer and provides employment for 300,000 Canadians; and
Whereas according to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canada is the fifth largest exporter of agriculture and agri-food products in the world. Too often, Canada ships its unmodified agricultural commodities abroad to be processed by another country and then sold back to Canada as a new product. By developing our domestic processing and manufacturing capacity, we can make these value-added products in Canada and sell them globally at a higher price than we can our raw commodities, leading to more jobs and economic activity; and
Whereas the agri-food industry is growing organically locally with limited support; and
Whereas we are experiencing diverse locally sourced agri-food business initiatives such as: Bloom Kombucha, Bread Hag, Hogan’s Homestead Maple Products, Penokean Hills Farms, Red Roof Honey, Sweetened Chocolate, Rico's Foods, Fallen Leaves Maple Products, and others; and
Whereas the Economic Development Corporation of Sault Ste. Marie does not have an agri-food industry specific plan; and
Whereas growth is happening locally in this sector without governmental involvement; and
Whereas growth and diversification are critical to expand economic opportunities;
Now Therefore Be It Resolved that the Economic Development team under the Community Development and Enterprise Services Division be requested to collaborate with Rural AgrInnovation Network (RAIN) and other regional partners already delivering agri-food programming with a mandate to:
- Map existing assets, programs, and funding now supporting local processors and producers;
- Identify opportunities to leverage upcoming infrastructure, such as the shared commercial test kitchen at Harvest Algoma; and
- Return to Council by year-end with actions, timelines, and potential budget impacts to accelerate value-added processing, supply-chain capacity, and market access for businesses.