Organic Standards Review: Webinar Series

August 31, 2018 Cecilia Stuart

Did you know that the Canadian Organic Standards are currently up for review? Like all national standards, the COS must be updated every five years to ensure they remain relevant and useful to organic stakeholders. You can read more about the current Standards review here.

Throughout the review process, OCO wants to advocate for our members’ concerns to the best of our ability. Is there something about the Standards that you want to see changed, or do you feel lost in the system and in need of clarification? We want to help! In the coming weeks, we will be hosting a series of webinars that shed light on some of the more contentious issues that are slated for discussion this Standards review. All webinars will feature a Q&A period with experts in each respective field, so you will have a chance to ask questions or seek clarification about some of the finer details contained in the COS. Here’s a look at what we’ve planned so far:

#YourStandardsYourSay – Small-Scale Solutions: Sept. 5, 12-1:30pm

Carolyn Young, Organic Council of Ontario, Executive Director
~Results from the Ontario small-scale certification solutions survey~
Tony McQuail, Meeting Place Organic Farm
~Recommendations from the OFC working group and reactions to findings~
Dave Lockman, Procert Certification Program Manager
~Procert’s Local organic program and thoughts on national level changes~
Cameron Dale, Evergreen Brickworks Farmers’ Market, Project Manager
~Evergreen Brickworks’ farmers’ market peer-to-peer verification pilot~
Rochelle Eisen, BC Organic expert and COG President
~Experiences with small-scale certification solutions in BC~

#YourStandardsYourSay – Something Fishy About Aquaponics?: Oct. 10, 12-1:30pm

Justin Henry, Aquaculture Consultant and Chair of the Aquaponics Technical Committee
Allison Grant, Southfield Organics
Tyler Levitan, Canada Organic Trade Association, Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs Manager
Ian Ritchie, Greenbelt Microgreens, Marketing and Business Development Manager
Frederick Miner, Miner Aquagreens, Founder and CEO
Brandon Hebor, Rafterra, Founder and CEO
Marco DeLeonardi, Freeman Herbs, R & D Operations Manager