High Liner Sold, B.C.’s Coming ALR Shake-Up, the Food Science of Time Change plus Tyler Groeneveld, CEO, Protein Industries Canada

Tyler has 31 years of experience and sat on PIC’s board before becoming CEO. PIC is one of Canada’s five global innovation clusters, and Sylvain calls it the strongest of the group. The harder question is whether it’s taking enough risk. Sylvain also shares what Saskatchewan mayors and councillors asked him this week: why the CFIA is so hard to deal with, interprovincial trade barriers, how to get private capital interested in agri-food, and which export markets beyond the U.S. are worth chasing. Out west, B.C.’s new government has Prairie producers thinking about port access. It also puts in play the Agricultural Land Reserve processing rule that Sylvain has criticized in public. On the East Coast, High Liner Foods leaves Canadian hands after 125 years, which raises hard questions about who owns the country’s food brands. Also: permanent standard time, full Halloween candy shelves, a U.S. lawsuit over tariffs on Canadian goat cheese, Olymel’s $142-million expansion and restaurant no-shows. Topics include: Protein Industries Canada and plant-protein investment B.C. agriculture and the ALR High Liner Foods and foreign ownership Permanent standard time Halloween candy and goat cheese tariffs Join us at the Coffee Association of Canada's Annual Conference Thursday, November 12th, 2026 at Angus Glen in Toronto (Markham) Are you ready for the Next Wave? Get Your Tickets Here This year’s conference will bring together leaders from across the industry for a day of bold conversations, market insights, networking and inspiration, focused on the ideas, people and innovations shaping the future of coffee in Canada. Don’t miss Canada’s premier coffee industry event — we sell out every year! About Us Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Visiting Professor in Food Policy and Distribution at McGill University and a Professor in Food Distribution and Policy in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. He is one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability with over 775 published peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Charlebois is also an editor for the prestigious Trends in Food Science Technology journal. He co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries and which is the most listened Canadian management podcast in Canada. Every year since 2012, he has published the now highly anticipated Canadian Food Price Report, which provides an overview of food price trends for the coming year. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, nationally as well as internationally. He has testified on several occasions before parliamentary committees on food policy-related issues as an expert witness. He has been asked to act as an advisor on food and agricultural policies in many Canadian provinces and other countries. With extensive experience collaborating with businesses, governments, and NGOs, Dr. Charlebois combines academic rigor with practical expertise, making him one of the most influential voices in the global agri-food landscape. His work continues to advance the understanding of food systems, fostering innovation and resilience in a rapidly evolving industry. In 2025, he received the prestigious Charles III medal recognizing his tremendous work in informing Canadians about food issues. Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.