Canada and Ontario investing to support honey bee health

Toronto, Ontario  –  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing over $1.3 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to help improve the resiliency and competitiveness of beekeeper operations in Ontario.

The new Honey Bee Health Initiative will help Ontario beekeepers maintain healthy honey bee colonies and will support them as they grow their number of colonies. Eligible activities also include equipment purchases or modifications of equipment that prevents the spread of disease and analysis work to support best management practices.

This funding builds on previous programs, such as the 2021 back-to-back Honey Bee Health Management initiatives offered under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

This initiative will be delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) and will directly contribute to the goals outlined in our Grow Ontario Strategy. The outcomes of this Initiative will contribute to increasing the amount of food grown and prepared in Ontario by 30% by 2032.

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 the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60% federally and 40% provincially/territorially for programs designed and delivered by the provinces and territories.