The Ontario and federal governments are continuing their funding to assist beekeepers with the Honeybee Health Initiative and beekeepers in the Vankleek Hill area say it is becoming easier to access the funding.
Recently, up to $1 million in additional funding for the Honeybee Health Initiative was announced to help improve the resiliency and competitiveness of beekeeping operations in Ontario. The additional funding will help more Ontario beekeepers better protect their colonies over the winter and protect against invasive pests such as varroa mites which pose a serious threat to honeybee health.
The initiative is made possible through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), which began on September 15, 2023 with a budget of more than $1.3 million. To date, 218 projects have been approved. This initiative builds on previous programs, such as the back-to-back Honeybee Health Management initiatives offered under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP).
“Honeybees play an important role in our agriculture and food industry as well as in Ontario’s ecosystem,” Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson said.
This initiative is delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) and will directly contribute to the goals outlined in the Grow Ontario Strategy.
“So many of the crops grown across Ontario depend on healthy bee populations. We’re expanding this vitally important support for our beekeepers so they can safeguard their livelihoods and keep their honeybee colonies healthy and sustainable,” federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay said.
“We’re just hearing about this news ourselves. And, to us, it’s good news. We’ve been able to participate in the OSCIA / CAP funding for the past few years, so we have definitely been able to make use of it and we’re looking forward for the chance to do more,” said beekeeper Russell Gibbs, who owns Gibbs Honey with Andrea Glen near Vankleek Hill.
“Now that we’ve done it a few times we have a feel for the application system, so it’s not too much of a chore,” Gibbs added.
He explained going through the application system has yielded positive results.
“But it’s always worth it. In the past we have been able to use the funds for a walk-in freezer, equipment, equipment storage as well as the purchase of hygienic queens. It has been a benefit to have specific beekeeper funding. Anything that supports beekeepers supports the health of bees,” Gibbs said.
Sustainable CAP is a 5-year (2023-2028), $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen competitiveness, innovation, and resiliency of Canada’s agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment cost shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs designed and delivered by the provinces and territories.
