On February 23, the Government of Ontario announced that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the University of Guelph were entering into a new agreement that will continue to provide funding for up to 10 years for a number of regional campuses and research stations across Ontario. Approximately 150 OSSTF/FEESO members are employed at those research stations. The facilities conduct cutting edge agri-food research—everything from aquaculture to plant genetics to biofuels and much more.

Just a few days prior to the announcement, OSSTF/FEESO President Harvey Bischof and members of the District 35 Bargaining Unit at Guelph met with Jeff Leal, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, to impress upon the Minister that the work OSSTF/FEESO members perform at these regional campuses and research stations is vital to Ontario’s agricultural economy and to farming communities across the province.