by SUSAN MANN
The association representing the country’s restaurants, the second largest buyer of Canadian chicken, is being shut out of the consultations to amend minimum live prices for Ontario chicken, says a spokesman.
Garth Whyte, Restaurants Canada CEO and president, says in an Oct. 28 letter to commissioners of the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission its request for information from the commission hasn’t been answered. That request was initially made in an Oct. 8 letter to the commission.
“We are frustrated because we want to contribute to the important review work taking place and respond to the amendments you are considering, ” Whyte says in the Oct. 28 letter. He adds the process to update how live prices are set in Ontario is important because prices set for chicken in Ontario “determines the price charged across the whole country.”
The commission posted a proposal on the Ontario Regulatory Registry Sept. 22 and requested comments by Nov. 6. The proposal calls for the minimum live price to be based on an actual cost of production using a survey of producer costs and a model farm for elements not covered in the survey. Currently the farmers’ minimum live prices are determined by three factors – chick costs, feed prices and producer margin. The current method for establishing minimum live prices has been in place since 2002.
Specifically, the restaurant association asked the commission to provide it with:
- A copy of the proposed amendments along with proposed prices and costs.
- A full description of the cost of production formula in place since 2002, including any modifications either in the formula or assigned costs/prices.
Whyte says in an interview “I want to give them the benefit of the doubt that it’s an incompetent bureaucracy that’s not getting back to us or it just shows how flawed the process is because it’s not open information.”
Without this information, “our association is unable to respond to the commission’s invitation to provide commentary on the proposed amendments by the deadline of Nov. 6 because these amendments have not been made known. For that matter, details of the COP (cost of production) used since 2002 have also not been shared publicly,” he says in the letter.
Whyte adds the restaurant industry buys $2.2 billion worth of Canadian chicken annually. The largest buyers of chicken in Canada are grocery retailers.
He says in the interview the association is considering its options of what to do next. It may request an extension in the comment period from Premier Kathleen Wynne or the agriculture ministry or file an Access to Information request to get the details it wants.
Since the association doesn’t have the information it says it needs, it can’t gauge if the “amendments proposed by the current review significantly advance the consumer, our industry – ultimately the public interest,” he says in the letter.
Restaurants Canada has said for some time it wants to be a full partner “promoting the growth and further development of the chicken industry,” he says.
Commission chair Geri Kamenz couldn’t be reached for comment. BF
Comments
Restaurants Canada ("RC") is 70 years old, and represents more than 30,000 businesses (eg. restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and their suppliers) throughout Canada. The members of RC have more than one million employees; 80,000 locations; and 18 million customers a day. In other words, RC is big and important.
Does that size and strength give RC any rights and privileges to jump in at the front of the complaints line against Chicken Farmers of Ontario?
Small Flockers may only have 57 members, but we are at the front of the line for complaints against CFO.
RC can wait their turn, right after AOCP finishes extracting their pound of flesh from CFO’s backside.
By the time all the complaints against CFO get taken care of, there won’t be much left of CFO.
Glenn Black
Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada
Small Flockers submitted their comments on the new COP regulations more than a month ago; in spite of the information blackout by CFO and OFPMC.
Glenn Black
Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada
Restaurant Canada might be big and important in their own mind but its the grocery store people that sell the most chicken and they seem to be fine with the COP used.
Maybe CFO would like some input toward what the restaurants charge their clientele but that probably wouldn't be acceptable.
I think merit of the arguments may be the most important.
Thus far, your arguments have been found as lacking any merit.
The Tribunal ruled your arguments to be trivial, frivolous and vexatious along with being made in bad faith.
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