December 10, 2020

Pride in our responsibility to continue safely growing quality local products in Ontario.

Click and take a moment to enjoy our holiday video. 

“Ontario’s greenhouse farmers have struggled like, many businesses across the province in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. But greenhouse growers, their families and their employees have risen to the challenge – continuing to grow quality local products while ensuring the safety and well-being of greenhouse workers and their families. Although we are not able to celebrate the holiday season with our annual Poinsettia and Veggie reception – we wish you happy holidays.”

Jan VanderHout, President, The Ontario Greenhouse Alliance

This has been a difficult and stressful year for Canada’s agri-food sector. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario’s greenhouse farmers have struggled, like many businesses across the province. But greenhouse growers and their employees have risen to the challenge – continuing to grow quality local products while ensuring the safety and well-being of our workers, our families and our communities.

We are thankful for the ongoing support we have received from all levels of government and elected members from all parties.

Our growers take great pride in their responsibility to produce safe, sustainable local products. We continue to focus on our top priority: ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees. At the same time, the crisis has highlighted the need for resilient local agriculture production.

As we begin to emerge from the crisis and plan for our economic recovery, we believe that the greenhouse sector will play a critical role in supporting the well-being of Ontarians, Canadians and consumers around the world.

Although we are not able to celebrate the holiday season with our annual Poinsettia and Veggie reception we wanted to send you and your family season’s greetings. In lieu of our annual reception this year we have made a donation to the Plentiful Harvest Food Rescue Program – an organization that works to reduce hunger by rescuing large quantities of food—fresh and prepared—for packaging and redistribution to those in need in communities in Southwestern Ontario and for distribution to food banks across Ontario.

We wish you good health and good fortune and hope to see you soon.

Media Release– November 9, 2020

Ontario’s greenhouse growers support Ontario’s budget approach

Flamboro, ON - The Ontario Greenhouse Alliance (TOGA) applauds the Ontario government's responsible and sustainable approach outlined in the last week's budget. TOGA acknowledges the practical and transparent fiscal approach focusing on protecting, supporting and recovering.

TOGA’s members have struggled like many businesses across the province to secure their businesses in the face of the covid-19 pandemic, while ensuring the safety and well-being of workers and their families.

The budget also outlined a number of important investments that will benefit our members particularly with regard to infrastructure and energy costs.  The continued commitment and actions from the provincial government to support businesses and workers in the agri-food sector will be met with an equal commitment to safe, sustainable and local production from the greenhouse sector.

'In the proud tradition of Ontario farmers, we meet the challenges of our sector by constantly innovating and improving our practices and the covid-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented disruption to our sector, said Jan VanderHout, President of TOGA.  “Working together between our sector and the government of Ontario we can we can meet these challenges and ensure a bright future for this province”.

"We appreciate the difficult fiscal circumstances that Ontario faces and applaud the prudent approach taken by this government to manage this challenge,” said George Gilvesy, Chair of Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers.  “Ontario’s greenhouse growers have been and will continue to be a partner in moving this province forward."

“Our members will continue to do what is necessary to ensure the continued production of safe, sustainable and local production here in Ontario,” said Jan VanZanten, Chair of Flowers Canada (Ontario).   “The partnership between our sector and the provincial government will benefit growers, workers and consumers across the province.”

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The Ontario Greenhouse Alliance (TOGA) is a strategic partnership between the two organizations representing Ontario’s greenhouse floriculture growers and Ontario’s greenhouse vegetable growers.