Raw milk rally Queen’s Park, Toronto, Oct. 2011, when Michael Schmidt was on a hunger strike.
“Call to Action – within Ontario
Those of you in Ontario probably remember that past Premier Dalton McGuinty told Michael Schmidt, at the end of his hunger strike, that he could speak to caucus. None of us knew that Premier McGuinty would not be in office for long. Now we have a new Premier who is also our Agriculture Minister. We need to reach out to her respectfully to ask for her help.
Our government is working on a new Local Food Act that is meant to be good for farmers, good for the economy and good for our health. Now is the time to open real dialogue with government about our small, grass based awesome raw milk farmers and how their success could help rural communities and our health as a result. Not to mention our right to private contract with anyone we choose and our right to eat and drink what we decide is healthy for our families in a province where cigarettes and high caffeine drinks are the norm and many other raw food products are allowed even though they certainly have made people sick.
We need and want to have a committee formed to look at this issue which includes Michael Schmidt, other raw milk knowledgeable farmers, our consumer group and members of government to look at ways to provide raw milk in the safest way possible. Through a group called Cow Share Canada, Michael Schmidt has excellent production safety outlines which, in some cases are better than the Ontario Dairy Board regulations and certainly have a long history of being successful as evidenced by the fact that nobody has ever gotten sick from his milk. The Canadian Consumer Raw Milk Advocacy Group has some ideas on how perhaps a pilot program could be implemented in Ontario or a different kind of research study to what has been done in the past could be carried out. Many ideas that could be discussed in such a committee….”
More on the Canadian Consumer Raw Milk Advocacy Group.
“Call to Action – Canada Wide
A call to action for consumers across our country who already have a source of milk, those looking for milk and not able to find it and anyone who agrees with us that we should not be told what we can and cannot eat especially when it comes to natural foods. We need your help.
Our information package has gone out to 308 MP’s across Canada. Please contact the MP in your area to find out if they received it and have read it, will they support our right to choose this food etc. It would be great if everyone could download the papers and send or personally drop off our letter along with one from yourself voicing your own concerns to the MP’s in your area. If your MP has not received this, please let us know at info@rawmilkconsumer.ca and we will send it again.
The Federal government is where the law against raw milk lies so it is important to open dialogue. The Provincial governments, however, could allow raw milk through private contract as private contract is not the jurisdiction of the Federal government. If this is a cause close to your heart, please get active in your province to make your voice heard…..”
The Bovine 
It’s encouraging that BC residents are apparently getting some traction on the smart meter front. From a report by Rob Shaw on the Hella Delicious blog:
“B.C.’s Opposition New Democrats accepted an anti-smart-meter petition with almost 30,000 signatures Monday and promised to seek hard-wired meters for people concerned about the health effects of wireless technology.
NDP critic John Horgan tabled the petition in the legislature and said he’s heard for years the health and privacy concerns related to smart electric meters.
An NDP government would “give a direction to the utilities commission to give us best advice on what opt- out provision would suit the B.C. context,” said Horgan. “Other jurisdictions are doing that now.”
In Quebec, the government offered to charge a modest fee to people who want to have a wired electric meter, instead of new wireless technology, and an annual fee to have the meter read manually. “I think that’s a reasonable approach,” said Horgan….”
http://www.helladelicious.com/blog/stories-and-news/2013/03/ndp-pledge-to-provide-opt-out-for-smartmeters/
Unlike in Ontario, the BC NDP have a very real chance of forming the next government.
Let me first say I do not know who”The Canadian Consumer Raw Milk Advocacy Group” is. How many members they have what and how their Organization is run or what they consider their mandate. Perhaps that question could be answered here. I question why anyone would want more regulation from government i for one want the government to leave me alone. Have you looked around lately and seen how they have had scandal after scandal that has led this Province down the road to bankruptcy. I do want them mandating what size of Cola I drink or how my milk is produced. I and my family are quite capable of finding a producer/farmer that wishes to sell the product whether milk, eggs,meat or veg and enter into an agreement with them. That is the trouble today people think government can solve everything and then they complain we are over regulated. That is exactly why we are in this mess because good intentioned people wanted regulation. Please just let the consumer decide what they want without some Organization or government telling us. For some of you this is a new yuppy thing for me it has been a life long investment.
If you are the same Carol who has commented here before I have already explained to you what the CCRMAG is doing months ago. Nobody wants more regulation by government and that is not what we are looking for. Until you are a farmer who is up against losing everything because you’ve been targeted for supplying us the food we want, it may be hard to understand why we want to see a way recognized legally. The reality is that nobody thinks we should have to ask government for the right to have this food and that includes me and those on our working group. The other reality is our farmers are not safe long term unless we can come to some kind of agreement with government. Sitting back and preaching about not needing governments permission doesn’t stop them from raiding farms and doesn’t stop them from devastating a farmers life and business. To your other question, our working group is spread across Canada and consists of abilities from the areas of legal, production, web, nutrition and science and every aspect in between pretty much. We have another group of volunteers who are helping us that are not part of the core working group as well. Word is spreading and people are reaching out to help, including but not limited to farmers. Read our website if you really want to understand what we are doing. http://www.rawmilkconsumer.ca
Margo McIntosh
I agree , now is the time to get to work on the government while the publics eyes are focused on the benefits of local food, and quality food.
The one aproach that should be looked at is the branding of raw milk. This is the detrimental name given to natures product by the government and used in the regulations regarding milk. This leads everyone to believe that milk needs to be cooked or something further.
While reading one of my older agriculture books The product was called Fresh unadulterated milk. My eyes opened widely to this name. To think the opposite to this is adulterated milk and that is what is sold to the public.
The correct label of Pure Fresh unadulterated Milk Is what it truly is. Sadly most of the public have never tasted it, or even have a right to.
Thanks Donald. That point has been brought up before and I agree that it does have a different energy about it. The name for the group was chosen because the general public would recognize the wording “raw milk” better since it has been in the news so much around Michael in Ontario and Alice and Gordon in BC. That said, we are starting to use the type of wording you are suggesting as well to hopefully start to shift that perspective. For the time being though we need everyone who comes in contact with this information to understand what it is exactly we are talking about. It’s amazing how many people, who don’t particularly care to consume raw milk, have no idea a human right to this food is being violated and who sign the petition because they agree that Canadians should be able to choose for themselves what they eat and drink.
“a human right to this food is being violated” sounds like judgement… a determination. You have the right to your opinion. I am glad it is not binding, despite the assertion. My opinion on the matter is different. I recognize that my opinion is not binding. The government has a right to their opinion. And I am glad it is not binding. The opinion of the court, however, is binding.
If your opinion is not binding (despite your assertion of a truth), and the government opinion is not binding, but the court’s opinion is binding, why do “we” continue to appeal to the government for our “rights”? Is ‘your’ appeal to the government to have them change their opinion, or to give you/us our rights? In either case, what a futile “battle”. In either case, the best you can get from the government is a privilege (having the color of right).
But perhaps your legal consultants would be better suited to advise you on this. They (like health officials), are ‘qualified’ to tell you how it is so that you don’t have to think about it for yourself 🙂
Margo,thanks for your reply but you still have not explained your Organization.What is your mandate, are you registered etc.is there memberships? For example I know exactly what and who the OFA/CFA are and what their mandate is and who to contact in each county. I only see you as CCRMAG presently.
I have read somewhere that the milk you/CCRMAG want approved be only from Cow Shares,from grass fed cows etc. and we, the consumer must be educated on how to properly handle the milk. I guess that would not include putting the milk on the dumb waiter and lowering it to the dirt basement!!
It seems that you think anything less than grass fed is not healthy, and the general public is in danger if your mandate is not met regarding storage and handling of the milk. You certainly have a right to your opinion just as others have the right to differ. I am certain that people who wish to obtain unpasteurized milk have researched it and are very knowledgeable on the subject. Plus, not everyone who wishes to obtain milk from the farm does so because they would ever drink it raw. They may have their own pasteurizer or bring it to temperature. People wish to obtain milk directly from the farm for various reasons and uses. The decision from whom and how the milk is produced should be theirs alone.
For years local people would go to a farmer and obtain their milk and there never was a problem. I believe because of the demands made to the government over safety by well intentioned people the results are what you now see.
For another example at a time not long ago a person could go directly to the farm and buy a pig/ cattle beast and the farmer would kill, cut and wrap and then before you knew it someone complained about one thing or another and the regulations started.
Margo, you may think I know nothing regarding farming , but I know a thing or two. For years my husband was listed as one of the top producers in the County. I also grew up on a dairy farm. So you see I know a few things and thus may look at this topic somewhat different than you and that is OK
Just remember when you are getting the government involved how well they have done with, e-Health, Orange, Rural Busing,Horse racing Industry and Wind Turbines..
Peter, Could not agree more. Thanks for putting it so elegantly.
I would love to be able to purchase raw goat’s milk or raw cow’s milk but it seems as though there are few, if any, farmers who offer it in Ontario. I realize that it’s illegal to sell it, which upsets me greatly, as I believe our food is way too adulterated against our wills, but perhaps there are farmers who offer shares or “black market” milk? I’d be interested in finding out. When I lived in BC I had access to raw goat’s milk for a short time and it was the best milk I’ve ever had – and of course, no illness wasoever resulted from drinking it. We currently live in London and will be relocating to the Guelph area soon – we’re willing to take a drive or pay for shipping for this wholesome food.