2026 Message of Hope, Light and Love: bring humanity back
At this time of reflection and resolution, we offer our annual message of Hope, Light and Love. The theme this year is “bring humanity back”.
The Hope: we strengthen our feeling of being human
The Light of truth: humans have an innate sense of of good and bad, of right and wrong
The Love for others: provides the energy to do what we can to make a difference
We offer these ideas so you might use them in your reflections.
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And we’d like you to know that Safe Food Matters applies these principles in our work. We think eating is human, it is best to eat good food, and we want this for those we love. So we work on obtaining safe food, we know something is not right if foods have been sprayed with poisons or manipulated, and we work in the public interest to challenge such practices.
You can see it in our work. …Read More
Coalition Urges Health Canada to Overhaul Pesticide Regulation and Launch Special Review
Coalition calls for an immediate glyphosate moratorium and modernized pesticide oversight in Canada
A coalition of nearly 30 civil society and academic organizations is calling on the federal government to halt plans announced in the latest budget to weaken Canada’s pesticide regulatory process. Instead, they are demanding a long-overdue public debate and comprehensive reform to protect farmers, public health and the environment.
At the center of concern is the government’s intention to abolish the cyclical re-evaluation of pesticides, a key mechanism designed to monitor pesticide safety over time. Eliminating this process would further weaken a system already skewed in favour of the agrochemical industry, giving more power to a regulator that has lost public trust. Between 2022 and 2025, Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) spent $42 million on its so-called “transformation agenda” — with no meaningful improvements to safety oversight.
The coalition also emphasizes that the statutory review of the Pest …Read More
‘The World’s Greatest Health Van’ Travels to Ottawa: 150,000 Canadians Call for The Charter of Health Freedom
OTTAWA, Ontario, Oct. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
Shawn Buckley, President of the Natural Health Product Protection Association (NHPPA), is on the road — destination Parliament Hill, Ottawa. His main purpose is to deliver a message on behalf of thousands of Canadians: We want better access to natural health products.
Upon arrival in Ottawa, Mr. Buckley is delivering to members of Parliament a document called The Charter of Health Freedom (‘The Health Charter’), which he describes as “a citizen initiative to ensure fair and balanced regulation of basic nutrients and natural remedies. The benefits must be maximized, and the risks minimized.”
Along with ‘The Health Charter’, he is also delivering the third-largest paper petition in Canadian history, signed by more than 150,000 citizens from coast to coast.
Delivering the Charter in Ottawa will be the culmination of a cross-Canada road trip, which began October 4 in Victoria, British Columbia, making multiple stops in cities including Whitehorse, Grande …Read More
The National School Food Program Will Be Made Permanent!
Canada is making school food permanent — but the real question is: what kind of food will children be eating?
The federal government has announced that its National School Food Program will become a permanent fixture, with $216.6 million in annual funding beginning in 2029. The move marks a major step toward universal food access — yet it leaves open crucial questions about food quality, sourcing and safety.
Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed on October 10 that his government will introduce legislation to make the program permanent, ensuring long-term funding so that every child and youth in Canada can access food at school. The announcement follows years of advocacy from the Coalition for Healthy School Food, of which Safe Food Matters is a proud member.
“This is a victory for children, families, educators and communities across the country,” said Debbie Field, National Coordinator of the Coalition for Healthy School Food. “By making this program permanent, Canada joins global leaders who understand …Read More
Mad Dog Case on Glyphosate: PMRA Refuses Action on New Science
Health Canada dismisses significance of new science, including forest studies, leaving Safe Food Matters to consider further action.
Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has decided to not take any steps regarding the registration of glyphosate, even after the Court ordered it to look at new science.
Safe Food Matters is reviewing PMRA’s decision to do nothing and is considering next steps.
PMRA took the decision, even though it was aware of new science from the Ramazinni institute that shows glyphosate causes cancer, and even though it was aware of risks to peoples who eat forest food from Safe Food Matters’ report that shows high levels of glyphosate arise in berries after forest spraying and that Indigenous peoples (and others) eat these berries.
The PMRA was told by the Federal Court on March 3, 2025, to redetermine the application for renewal of a glyphosate product, Mad Dog Plus, withing 6 months (by August …Read More
Conclusion of the Transformation Agenda: Nothing Transformed
On August 4, 2021, Health Canada announced:
it was pausing proposed increases to pesticide Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), including for glyphosate
the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) would receive $42 million over three years “to further strengthen its human and environmental health and safety oversight and protection”- the Transformation Agenda.
Three years later, and $42 million later, nothing has been transformed. The PMRA is consulting on 4 proposed regulations, that do NOT strengthen protection from pesticides. Two of them do nothing, and two actually make matters worse.
This is despite the fact that PMRA received almost 20,000 comments from members of the public on the proposal to increase MRLs of glyphosate. It dismissed 94% of the comments, and intends to carry on as usual.
Proposed MRL Regulation
PMRA says in the consultation document that:
“the current MRL setting process protects human health and does not require changes”.
However, the current process does not protect human health. …Read More
Forest Spraying 3: Forest Fires
Glyphosate is the main pesticide being sprayed on Canadian forests, and it increases the risk of forest fires.
2023 Forest Fires
The 2023 forest fires in Canada were devastating and destructive. Almost 19 million hectares of forest were burned – markedly more than the previous average of 2.5 million hectares. Hundreds of fires exceeded 10,000 hectares and were considered ““megafires”. (NASA Earth Observatory) Some fires smoldered underground and are emerging as “zombies” fires.
Smoke emitted from the wildfires caused air quality alerts and evacuations in Canada and the United States. In late June, 2023, the smoke crossed the Atlantic, reaching Europe.
Contributing Factors
Climate change is considered a contributing factor. Warmer and drier weather makes vegetation more flammable, increasing the risk of fire.
The forest management practise of spraying with glyphosate is also a contributing factor, in at least two respects. First, spraying the forest with glyphosate- based herbicides dries down the forest even more. Second, …Read More
A Message of Hope, Light and Love
At this time of reflection and resolution, we offer you a message of Hope, Light and Love. We believe this trinity is quite powerful.
Powerful in the spiritual sense, as in “Hope springs eternal” “Light vanquishes darkness” “… and the greatest of these is Love”.
Also powerful strategically, when viewed in a certain way. Here is our thinking:
Consider Hope as goal-setting. A hope for world peace implies a goal “for something” .
Consider Light as the plan or the truth. It sets out the path for how to best get to the goal.
Consider Love as the power that fuels the work. It provides the energy to keep going.
This trinity works in achieving what you want. Take New Years’ resolutions: 1. set the resolution; 2. figure out how to get there; 3. keep at it.
At Safe Food Matters, we use the trinity in our work:
1. Our goals are safer …Read More
