Growing The Island Way
In its press release, the Commission on the Future of Agriculture and Agri-food on Prince Edward Island has challenged farmers and food processors to be leaders in a bold new vision of growth, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability for the Province's largest industry. The twelve-member Commission released a Consultation Draft Report on October 30, 2008 after hearing over 40 presentations, reviewing written submissions, and holding a dozen Commission meetings over the summer and fall. This document will promote discussion, debate, and consensus building at a series of consultation workshops with agri-food system partners scheduled for November 25, 27 and 28, 2008.
Commission Members
THE COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD ON PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
The Commission Co-Chairs
The Commission is co-chaired by Rory Francis, Executive Director of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance and former Deputy Minister of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Dr. Ed Tyrchniewicz, an Agricultural Economist who recently retired as the Associate Dean of the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba and Professor in the Department of Supply Chain Management.
Members
In addition to the co-chairs, the Commission is comprised of twelve individuals representing producers, retailers, agri-business and the public.
Member List
| Rory Francis | Co-Chair |
| Dr. Ed Tyrchniewicz | Co-Chair |
| Randall Affleck | Member |
| Eddy Dykerman | Member |
| Cynthia Frizzell | Member |
| Steve Howatt | Member |
| Bryan Inglis | Member |
| Ray Keenan | Member |
| Wilfred Lacey | Member |
| Paul Larsen | Member |
| Alan Ling | Member |
| Raymond Loo | Member |
| Norma MacNeill | Member |
| Darcy Rennie | Member |
Co-chairs
Edward W. Tyrchniewicz P.AG
Trained as an Agricultural Economist (PhD- Purdue University), Ed has worked in universities for 40 years with almost 25 of those years being in various academic administrative positions. While at the University of Manitoba (1967 -88), he was a Professor of Agricultural Economics, Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, and Founding Director of the Transport Institute. He then served as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry at the University of Alberta (1988-96).
Since taking early retirement from the University of Alberta in 1997, he has held a variety of appointments, including Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (1996-99), founding Executive Director of the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council (1997), and Adjunct Professor (Agricultural Economics) at the University of Manitoba from 1998 to 2004. He is currently Associate Dean of the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba.
He is also involved in consulting and public service advising in the areas of agricultural policy, natural resource management, and organizational management and capacity building. Some of these activities include:
- Member of Agricultural and Agrifood Climate Change Table and Member of Integrative Climate Change Table (1998-2001).
- Chair of public Inquiry and co-author of Report of Livestock Stewardship Panel, Province of Manitoba (2000)
- Member of Science Advisory Panel on AAFC Science Strategy for Agriculture and Agrifood Canada (2003)
- Member of an international Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Development in China that advised the Chinese government on agricultural policy (2003-04)
- Chair of the Board of the Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative (2004-06)
- Prepared a report on Vision and Strategic Direction Options for the Canadian Agricultural Sector, Canadian Agrifood Policy Institute (2005)
- Chair of the Agricultural Policy Framework Review Panel (2005-06)
- Project manager of the Canadian Agrifood Policy Institute initiative on the interface between food and health (2006-07)
Rory Francis
Rory Francis has 25 years experience in professional, management and leadership roles in the public and private sectors. As an experienced senior executive, Mr. Francis has led transformative change in several public sector organizations encompassing economic and social policy, programs and services.
Mr. Francis is a native of Prince Edward Island. He earned a B.Sc. in geology and chemistry from Mount Allison University in 1975 and worked for three years as a consultant petroleum geologist in Alberta and British Columbia before returning to PEI as a groundwater geologist in 1978.
From 1979 to 1981 he completed a M.Sc. in Hydrogeology at the University of Waterloo and subsequently worked as Provincial Hydrogeologist and Director of Water Resources with the Province of Prince Edward Island.
Since 1991 Mr. Francis has served as Deputy Minister in several PEI provincial government departments, including Environment, Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Health and Social Services. He was responsible for the Agriculture portfolio from 1993-2000.
In 2003. Rory was seconded to the Department of Development and Technology to develop a strategic plan with the board of Slemon Park Corporation, PEI's aerospace industry cluster.
Since 2004 he has been Executive Director of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance Inc, a not-for-profit network of bioscience businesses and research organization. The role of the BioAlliance is to coordinate the work of industry, research, academia and governments to accelerate the growth of the province's emerging bioscience cluster.
Mr. Francis is a member of the Canadian BioAccord and serves as a board member with the PEI institute for Human Health Research.
Mr. Francis is an avid naturalist. He is a Warden with St. Peter's Cathedral and resides in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island with his wife Ann. Their three children have left the nest.