Latest news with #InformationMorningHalifax
CBC
22-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Fishing for Canadian seafood at the grocery store? Labels may not tell the whole story
Fish caught in Canadian waters but processed elsewhere could be labelled an international product A trade war with the United States and China has spurred many Canadians to buy local, but seafood lovers looking for truly made-in-Canada options may find reading grocery store labels challenging. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires seafood to be labelled according to where it was processed, not where it was caught or farmed, meaning fish from Canadian waters could be labelled as an international product. "Because seafood is such a global commodity and has a very complex supply chain, you're often not going to see a product that is both caught and processed in the same country," said Christina Callegari, senior co-ordinator for marine programs at the Ecology Action Centre, in a recent interview on CBC Radio's Information Morning Halifax. "Often times, seafood gets shipped off to China to be processed and then can be sent back to Canada ... and then it gets labelled as a product of China." Callegari added that federal regulations for "Made In Canada" and "Product Of Canada" labels have different standards, so she recommends consumers looking to buy Canadian seafood stick with the latter label. "If you have a label that says 'Product Of Canada,' the guidance suggest that that should be a product that is both caught and farmed and processed in Canada," she said. "But again, this is also only voluntary, so industry doesn't actually need to put this on a label." Callegari is also a member of SeaChoice, a collaboration between the Halifax-based Ecology Action Centre, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Living Oceans Society that advocates for sustainability and traceability throughout the seafood supply chain. Recently, Callegari attended the Seafood Expo North America in Boston, where she said much of the chatter was around tariffs from China and the U.S. U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed 25 per cent tariffs on some Canadian goods, ostensibly to spur action on fentanyl and migrants at the northern border. A 25 per cent levy on steel and aluminum imports was later tacked on, with additional retaliatory tariffs expected April 2 that will target seafood, among other Canadian exports. Meanwhile, China slapped a 25 per cent tariff on multiple Canadian seafood products on March 20 in retaliation for levies Canada brought in October on steel, aluminum and electric vehicles. The list of over 40 Canadian products facing the tariff includes lobster, crab, shrimp and halibut. Go to the source Callegari encourages consumers who want to know where their seafood came from and where it was processed go to fishmongers, markets or to fishers directly to buy their products. "Being able to physically talk to the person and have them describe to you where it was caught, how it was caught and what species it is, is a really great way to try to support local and make sure that that product is coming from where you want it to come from," she said. SeaChoice has been calling for improved labelling that would specify not only where but how the product was caught or farmed and processed, as well as the scientific name of the species. Callegari said the European Union, which requires that information on the majority of its seafood, is the "gold standard" for labelling regulations and Canada should follow its boat-to-plate model. "On the consumer side, if you're looking for a sustainable product, it's really important to know these criteria because it can help you make a decision," she said. "On the industry side, it can be helpful because of course if you're wanting to make people know that your product is Canadian or it is from Nova Scotia, having that on a label is really helpful from a marketing perspective and so that our local fishermen aren't being, you know, cut out of the market."
CBC
10-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Net gain: N.S. added nearly 200 more doctors than it lost last year
Nova Scotia recruited nearly 200 more doctors than it lost over the past year, say officials with the province's health authority. Katrina Philopoulos, the director of physician recruitment for Nova Scotia Health, told CBC's Information Morning Halifax the province's efforts have resulted in an overall net gain of 189 doctors since January 2024, representing the number of doctors added to the health-care system compared to the number that retired or left for various reasons. That's an increase of roughly 50 per cent over the previous year. Many of the new doctors have set up shop in the Halifax and Cape Breton regional municipalities, but others also chose to locate in less populated areas such as Yarmouth, Philopoulos said. "We really have physicians going everywhere in our province," she said. Among the new doctors, 45 were recruited to the eastern zone, including 27 in CBRM, said Sarah O'Toole, the physician recruitment consultant for that zone. Fourteen doctors left during the same time period, leaving the zone with a net gain of 31, Nova Scotia Health confirmed. Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney, N.S., now has a full complement of anesthesiologists for the first time in a number of years, O'Toole told CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton. "It means that all of our operating theatres can be open and providing care to patients in Nova Scotia," she said. "It's been a few years since we've been able to have them all open like that." When asked whether the recruits would relieve pressure on the provincial registry for people seeking a primary care physician, O'Toole said some of the new doctors are replacing retiring family physicians. "We see our registry numbers and we know the needs are high in Cape Breton Regional Municipality and so our goal is focused on finding those providers that are interested in the office practice and interested in providing family medicine full scope." As of the beginning of February, 104,324 people in Nova Scotia were looking for a family doctor. Philopoulos said about 50 per cent of the province's recruits are graduates of Dalhousie University's medical school and roughly 30 per cent are international medical graduates.
