Edmonton Oilers, national pride a big focus of Canada's marketing movement
If it feels like you're seeing more advertisements promoting Canadian products, services and businesses while out and about lately, that's because for the past several months, all things Canada have had a bit of a moment in the world of marketing.
Marketers tend to hop from trend to trend, attracting the eyes of consumers by tying their interests to particular products. According to Scott Mitchell, managing director with Vistar Media, a marketing group that specializes in out-of-home advertising, the hot trend lately is Canadiana — everything from 'Elbows up' to the Edmonton Oilers.
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Such factors include, but are not limited to: the failure to successfully complete the Offering; our ability to complete acquisitions and other strategic transactions on the terms and timeframes contemplated, and to achieve the anticipated benefits therefrom; a reduction in net earnings if our loss reserves are insufficient; underwriting losses on the risks we insure that are higher than expected; the occurrence of catastrophic events with a frequency or severity exceeding our estimates; changes in market variables, including unfavourable changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity prices and credit spreads, which could negatively affect our operating results and investment portfolio; the cycles of the insurance market and general economic conditions, which can substantially influence our and our competitors' premium rates and capacity to write new business; insufficient reserves for asbestos, environmental and other latent claims; exposure to credit risk in the event our reinsurers fail to make payments to us under our reinsurance arrangements; exposure to credit risk in the event our insureds, insurance producers or reinsurance intermediaries fail to remit premiums that are owed to us or failure by our insureds to reimburse us for deductibles that are paid by us on their behalf; our inability to maintain our long term debt ratings, the inability of our subsidiaries to maintain financial or claims paying ability ratings and the impact of a downgrade of such ratings on derivative transactions that we or our subsidiaries have entered into; risks associated with implementing our business strategies; the timing of claims payments being sooner or the receipt of reinsurance recoverables being later than anticipated by us; risks associated with any use we may make of derivative instruments; the failure of any hedging methods we may employ to achieve their desired risk management objective; a decrease in the level of demand for insurance or reinsurance products, or increased competition in the insurance industry; the impact of emerging claim and coverage issues or the failure of any of the loss limitation methods we employ; our inability to access cash of our subsidiaries; an increase in the amount of capital that we and our subsidiaries are required to maintain and our inability to obtain required levels of capital on favourable terms, if at all; the loss of key employees; our inability to obtain reinsurance coverage in sufficient amounts, at reasonable prices or on terms that adequately protect us; the passage of legislation subjecting our businesses to additional adverse requirements, supervision or regulation, including additional tax regulation, in the United States, Bermuda, Canada or other jurisdictions in which we operate; risks associated with applicable laws and regulations relating to sanctions and corrupt practices in foreign jurisdictions in which we operate; risks associated with government investigations of, and litigation and negative publicity related to, insurance industry practice or any other conduct; risks associated with political and other developments in foreign jurisdictions in which we operate; risks associated with legal or regulatory proceedings or significant litigation; failures or security breaches of our computer and data processing systems; the influence exercisable by our significant shareholder; adverse fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; our dependence on independent brokers over whom we exercise little control; financial reporting risks associated with IFRS 17 – Insurance Contracts; financial reporting risks relating to deferred taxes associated with amendments to IAS 12 – Income Taxes; impairment of the carrying value of our goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets or investments in associates; our failure to realize deferred income tax assets; risks associated with Canadian or foreign tax laws, or the interpretation thereof; technological or other change that adversely impacts demand, or the premiums payable, for the insurance coverages we offer; disruptions of our information technology systems; assessments and shared market mechanisms that may adversely affect our insurance subsidiaries; risks associated with the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel and the development of other geopolitical events and economic disruptions worldwide; and risks associated with tariffs, trade restrictions, or other regulatory measures imposed by domestic or foreign governments that may, directly or indirectly, affect Fairfax's business. 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Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The reasons are layered. While Statistics Canada's price index paints a broad picture of 'white rice,' much of the pressure comes from specific market dynamics. For several months, Canadian tariffs on U.S. rice imports squeezed processor margins. Dainty — the 143-year-old Montreal-based company that remains Canada's only rice milling facility — imports rice from multiple countries and cleans, mills and packages it domestically. Since no rice is commercially grown here, all Canadian supply chains are exposed to global shocks. Basmati rice, Canada's top-selling variety by volume, is a key driver. Pre-packaged imports from India are highly sensitive to international commodity swings, and India's temporary export restrictions last year sent global prices upward. By March, the average retail price of a 2-kg bag in Canada had pushed well past $10 under tariff pressure, marking a peak in the white rice category. Since tariffs were lifted, prices have eased slightly, but not enough to offset the year's cumulative rise — and it remains unclear whether they will drop further in the months ahead. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Rice is not a marginal food in this country. Roughly one in 10 Canadian adults — about 2.2 million people — consume rice as their primary grain, driven largely by cultural and dietary traditions. The market's scale depends on how it's measured: Bonafide Research estimates more than $600 million in annual retail sales, while broader industry figures that include food service, processing, and imports put the figure above $16 billion. The gap highlights an important point for policymakers — rice may seem like a niche product in household terms, but economically, it carries weight. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Immigration and shifting consumption patterns will likely push demand higher in coming years. Nutritionally, however, the picture is mixed. White rice — by far the dominant variety on Canadian shelves — is primarily a carbohydrate source and, unless enriched, offers little in the way of fibre or micronutrients. Brown, red, and black rice varieties, which retain their bran and germ, deliver higher fiber, B-vitamins, and antioxidants. Wild rice, while not botanically rice, offers even greater protein density. Rice is naturally gluten-free and, when paired with legumes, forms a complete protein, but over-reliance on unenriched white rice can displace more nutrient-dense grains from the diet. For Canadian consumers, the takeaway is clear: Variety matters — for both nutrition and long-term health outcomes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Could Canada ever grow its own rice? While far from becoming a rice powerhouse, niche production is not inconceivable. Controlled-environment agriculture and greenhouse production could make small-scale cultivation possible in water-abundant regions such as British Columbia or southern Ontario. Still, the economics are challenging: Canada would be competing against low-cost giants like the U.S., India, and Vietnam, and rice is notoriously water-intensive. Climate change may eventually reshape growing seasons, and technology could lower barriers, enabling boutique production for specialty markets — much as Canada has done with wine grapes, wasabi, and even bananas. The real question for Canada is not whether rice can be grown domestically, but whether doing so would make economic and environmental sense. Until then, rice will remain a barometer of global trade shifts, climate shocks, and policy decisions — reminding us that even an overlooked staple can tell a big story about our food economy. — Charlebois is director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, co-host of The Food Professor Podcast and visiting scholar at McGill University. Read More Opinion Columnists Columnists Celebrity Toronto & GTA
