Return from Ottawa

Well now that the long weekend is past us, we can finally get back to work. This week we have dedicated to southwestern Ontario organizations and can't wait to meet with them and get there feedback on our study.

Just to update our loyal followers on our Ottawa trip, which took place last week, everything went very smoothly and the feedback was great. As a last second decision, Nicole decided to stay back in Guelph to continue scheduling meetings, answering phone calls and completing the usually day-to-day tasks that would have accumulated if we had all gone. That left Harriet and myself to make the trek up to Ottawa, which we did on Monday afternoon. Our meetings began bright and early on Tuesday morning as we meet with the CFBMC, L'Union Cultivateurs des Franco-Ontariens, the Canadian Seed Growers Association and finally the CFIA. All meetings ran smoothly and we would like to thank all of those who participated in those meetings for their input as well as their kindness.

Wednesday saw us meet with the Canadian Pork Council, the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency, the Food Processors of Canada, the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, and last but not least, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Once again we were very pleased to meet with all these organizations and appreciated their time, input and friendliness.

Finally, on Thursday morning, we woke up early, checked out of our hotel and made our way over to SeCan in Kanata. From there we started our journey home, making a planned stop in Peterborough to the Trent Centre for Community-Based Education. Here we talked with a Todd Barr about the structure and workings of the Trent Centre and saw how we could use similar methods as a template for a possible business structure for our centre. He was extremely informative and we would like to thank him for his time and hospitality.

Overall it was a great trip, with lots of positive feedback as well as constructive input. If there is anyone in the Ottawa region or more broadly put, in either the north and/or eastern Ontario that we missed or has not been contacted and would like to participate in this study, please email acecstudy@uoguelph.ca or call 519-824-4120 ext. 52667. Thanks again to all.