Brad Clements, 82, has been growing Christmas trees near Milton, Ont., since the 1980s but is getting ready to pack it in.
“We’re looking at closing it up in the next year or so, if not sooner,” said Clements, owner of Clembrook Christmas Farm.
Clements and his wife aren’t passing the business on to a family member, and say the property likely won’t continue on as a Christmas tree farm.
He’s not alone.
One of the factors driving a protractedChristmas tree shortage is the aging population of tree farmers, says Shirley Brennan, executive director of the Canadian Christmas Trees Association.
In the last 10 years, Canada lost 1,017 Christmas tree farms and 19,165 acres of Christmas tree farmland, according to Statistics Canada.
Much of that loss has been due to farmers retiring or passing away, Brennan said.
“When I look at those numbers in those areas, I know that’s what’s happening because I know those tree farmers that are no longer operating,” said Brennan, who says the association’s membership is about 70 years old on average.
Climate change, economics behind Canadian Christmas tree shortage
2 years ago
Duration 2:02
Canadians may find Christmas trees in short supply this year after climate change and changing farm economics led to a smaller number being produced.
It’s a heightened example of a broader problem facing Canadian agriculture.
Census data shows farmers — both Christmas tree and otherwise — are aging at a faster clip than the overall population. Royal Bank of Canada economists warn the trend will likely worsen an existing agricultural skills shortage in the years ahead.
According to the latest available data from Statistics Canada, the average Christmas tree farmer is 59, while the average farmer is 56. The average person in Canada is 41.7.
“It’s not only for Christmas tree growers, it’s also for canola, soybean growers as well — it’s a trend we’re seeing across the economy,” said Mohamad Yaghi, agriculture and climate policy lead for RBC Economics, and lead author of a report from earlier this year about the demographic transition in agriculture.
Cost of doing business
Across the agriculture industry, cost has become a major barrier to entry for younger, would-be farmers, said Yaghi. He noted a tractor can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, to say nothing of the add-on equipment that’s often needed.
“Agricultural land has gone up significantly, the cost of technology has also gone up significantly, and when we look at the support mechanisms available to younger producers, they’re not very plentiful right now, unfortunately,” he said.
Christmas tree farmers also have to contend with a particularly long lag time between setting up their farm and earning their first profits. It can take between eight to 14 years for a tree to grow to maturity, which means a new farmer may not see a return on their investment for about a decade.
Gerald (left) and Erika (right) Bodnaruk outside at their Christmas tree farm near Medicine Hat, Alta. (Submitted by Erika Bodnaruk)
Erika Bodnaruk, 57, owns the Country Mouse Tree Farm near Medicine Hat, Alta., with her husband, Gerald. The couple started planting Christmas trees in 2008 and opened for business in 2017.
They plan to retire in their mid-60s but are making plans well ahead of that. Their two kids live too far away to inherit the business, and Bodnaruk said it will likely take time to find an interested buyer who can afford to take it over.
“If it’s not given to someone who is in the family, it needs to be an established business[person] already,” she said. “There’s so much out and not very much in for so many years — it’s not for the faint of heart.”
Farmers, skills wanted
An aging agricultural workforce could have implications not just for seasonal decor but for the economy more broadly.
Last year, the agriculture and agri-food sector generated $143.8 billion, or around seven per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP).
But the RBC Economics report says Canada already has one of the worst skills shortages among major food exporting countries, and predicts the situation will likely worsen with an estimated 40 per cent of farmers set to retire in the next decade.
Meanwhile, demand for food is expected to grow alongside the world’s population, and a recent declaration at COP28 has governments committing to reduce emissions from agriculture.
That means the sector will not only need new farmers, but new skills in order to grow more food with fewer emissions, according to the RBC report. And while Canadian admissions to agricultural schools are strong, the report noted they still fall short of what’s needed.
Christmas trees for sale at a Save-On-Foods grocery store in Surrey, B.C., on Nov. 23, 2023. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Another dimension of the problem is that while students used to attend agricultural college intending to return to the family farm, a growing number now want to work in agriculture in a non-producer role, such as in supply chain management or agribusiness, according to Jay Steeves of Olds College of Agriculture and Technology.
“They still want to be a part of agriculture and they want to contribute to it, but potentially looking for different ways to be able to share their knowledge and their experience,” said Steeves, dean of the college’s Werklund School of Agriculture and Technology, which is located about 90 kilometres north of Calgary.
“It’s concerning because I think we still need a certain percentage of students that have the education to head back and still operate at the producer level.”
It’s a complicated problem to solve, he said, but part of the solution lies in offering more hands-on opportunities for students to give farming a try, such as through the college’s nearby smart farm.
“Some students come with no agriculture background and really want to jump into the field, and so we have that ability to expose them to production,” he said.
Christmas trees growing in Langley, B.C., at the Fernridge Christmas Tree Forest in December 2022. (Yasmin Gandham/CBC News)
‘It’s pretty charming’
As for Brennan, she has reason for optimism in the Christmas tree sector. There is a small but growing number of younger people out there who are picking up Christmas tree farming as part of a broader agri-tourism business, she said.
To make the finances work, these new farmers might also grow pumpkins in the fall or sunflowers in the summer to entice more year-round customers, especially during the decade it takes to get a new Christmas tree crop off the ground.
Brennan has also taken it upon herself to act as a one-woman PR machine, picking up the phone from anyone who calls interested in getting into the business.
Bodnaruk, the farmer near Medicine Hat, is also willing to make a pitch. While farming may not be for the faint of heart, she said it can also be plenty heart warming.
“I mean, who doesn’t want to own a Christmas tree farm? It’s pretty charming,” she said.
“Just seeing the smiles and the giggles and watching the kids run in the tree fields — it really brings back the whole spirit of Christmas.”
TORONTO – Canada Goose Holdings Inc. says it has signed a deal that will result in the creation of its first eyewear collection.
The deal announced on Thursday by the Toronto-based luxury apparel company comes in the form of an exclusive, long-term global licensing agreement with Marchon Eyewear Inc.
The terms and value of the agreement were not disclosed, but Marchon produces eyewear for brands including Lacoste, Nike, Calvin Klein, Ferragamo, Longchamp and Zeiss.
Marchon plans to roll out both sunglasses and optical wear under the Canada Goose name next spring, starting in North America.
Canada Goose says the eyewear will be sold through optical retailers, department stores, Canada Goose shops and its website.
Canada Goose CEO Dani Reiss told The Canadian Press in August that he envisioned his company eventually expanding into eyewear and luggage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Almost seven years since news broke of an alleged conspiracy to fix the price of packaged bread across Canada, the saga isn’t over: the Competition Bureau continues to investigate the companies that may have been involved, and two class-action lawsuits continue to work their way through the courts.
Here’s a timeline of key events in the bread price-fixing case.
Oct. 31, 2017: The Competition Bureau says it’s investigating allegations of bread price-fixing and that it was granted search warrants in the case. Several grocers confirm they are co-operating in the probe.
Dec. 19, 2017: Loblaw and George Weston say they participated in an “industry-wide price-fixing arrangement” to raise the price of packaged bread. The companies say they have been co-operating in the Competition Bureau’s investigation since March 2015, when they self-reported to the bureau upon discovering anti-competitive behaviour, and are receiving immunity from prosecution. They announce they are offering $25 gift cards to customers amid the ongoing investigation into alleged bread price-fixing.
Jan. 31, 2018: In court documents, the Competition Bureau says at least $1.50 was added to the price of a loaf of bread between about 2001 and 2016.
Dec. 20, 2019: A class-action lawsuit in a Quebec court against multiple grocers and food companies is certified against a number of companies allegedly involved in bread price-fixing, including Loblaw, George Weston, Metro, Sobeys, Walmart Canada, Canada Bread and Giant Tiger (which have all denied involvement, except for Loblaw and George Weston, which later settled with the plaintiffs).
Dec. 31, 2021: A class-action lawsuit in an Ontario court covering all Canadian residents except those in Quebec who bought packaged bread from a company named in the suit is certified against roughly the same group of companies.
June 21, 2023: Bakery giant Canada Bread Co. is fined $50 million after pleading guilty to four counts of price-fixing under the Competition Act as part of the Competition Bureau’s ongoing investigation.
Oct. 25 2023: Canada Bread files a statement of defence in the Ontario class action denying participating in the alleged conspiracy and saying any anti-competitive behaviour it participated in was at the direction and to the benefit of its then-majority owner Maple Leaf Foods, which is not a defendant in the case (neither is its current owner Grupo Bimbo). Maple Leaf calls Canada Bread’s accusations “baseless.”
Dec. 20, 2023: Metro files new documents in the Ontario class action accusing Loblaw and its parent company George Weston of conspiring to implicate it in the alleged scheme, denying involvement. Sobeys has made a similar claim. The two companies deny the allegations.
July 25, 2024: Loblaw and George Weston say they agreed to pay a combined $500 million to settle both the Ontario and Quebec class-action lawsuits. Loblaw’s share of the settlement includes a $96-million credit for the gift cards it gave out years earlier.
Sept. 12, 2024: Canada Bread files new documents in Ontario court as part of the class action, claiming Maple Leaf used it as a “shield” to avoid liability in the alleged scheme. Maple Leaf was a majority shareholder of Canada Bread until 2014, and the company claims it’s liable for any price-fixing activity. Maple Leaf refutes the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:L, TSX:MFI, TSX:MRU, TSX:EMP.A, TSX:WN)
TORONTO – TD Bank Group, which is mired in a money laundering scandal in the U.S., says chief executive Bharat Masrani will retire next year.
Masrani, who will retire officially on April 10, 2025, says the bank’s, “anti-money laundering challenges,” took place on his watch and he takes full responsibility.
The bank named Raymond Chun, TD’s group head, Canadian personal banking, as his successor.
As part of a transition plan, Chun will become chief operating officer on Nov. 1 before taking over the top job when Masrani steps down at the bank’s annual meeting next year.
TD also announced that Riaz Ahmed, group head, wholesale banking and president and CEO of TD Securities, will retire at the end of January 2025.
TD has taken billions in charges related to ongoing U.S. investigations into the failure of its anti-money laundering program.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
