Throughout 2006, OCA continued to increase our government relations activities, as per direction provided by producers in the 2005 strategic planning process.

During our last barbecue at Queen’s Park, fewer MPPs and their staffers asked us what we do - not because they don’t care - but because they already know. Slowly but surely our messages are getting across and we’re doing it in a professional, collaborative and respectful manner that sets our approach apart from that of other agricultural organizations.

In 2006, our third annual Queen’s Park beef barbecue was held on June 7th. Board members met with various MPPs in private meetings, and then hosted the main event on the front lawn of the Provincial Legislature. Turnout was our best ever - an estimated 700 people (staffers and MPPs) were served Ontario Corn-Fed Beef on a bun. That number is 200 higher than last year.

While many organizations visit Queen’s Park to increase their profile, improve government relations and ensure that their issues are heard by Government, we are pleased to report that OCA’s barbecue has quickly become one of the most popular events of the year, and we are now beginning to see concrete benefits from increasing our presence at the Legislature.

On October 4th, 2006, OCA also co-hosted a reception at Queen’s Park with the three other Red Meat Boards (Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency, Ontario Veal Association, and Ontario Pork). The reception was a tremendous success and helped cement the view that we are a professional association that advocates effectively on behalf of our producers. We received very positive feedback on the reception and are looking to repeat it this fall.

At these functions, we are actively pursuing all opportunities to advocate our positions on a number of issues with the provincial Government. Most notably, regulations around Nutrient Management and the Clean Water Act are very active. As well we continue to push for positive changes to the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program so that the program better meets the needs of our producers.

In addition, thanks to the hard work of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), your Board and staff now have regular opportunities to travel to Parliament Hill during so-called “Fly-In Days,” to bring a stronger voice to national lobbying efforts. In 2006, three Fly-In days were held for OCA Directors to travel to Ottawa and make cattle issues known to key MPs.

These efforts are beginning to show results. Throughout 2006 both the Federal and Provincial Governments decided to implement changes to the inventory valuation method used by CAIS, to a model that we had been proposing. This is a direct result of the efforts that we have put in to generate relationships at Queen’s Park and in Ottawa.

OCA continues to build on the support and the profile generated by our annual barbecue. As you may be aware, late in 2005 the OCA Board approved an initiative aimed at building a grassroots political action network designed to raise OCA’s profile with elected officials and key decision makers at the Provincial level.

In 2006, we also worked with the Advisory Council on identifying individuals in key areas of the province that will be able to help us build local relationships with MPPs. This will be a long-term initiative that will put us in an effective position leading up to the October 2007 provincial election. In the 2006 federal election, OCA’s role was to monitor issues and assist CCA in their national efforts to advocate on behalf of beef producers.

OCA also continued to publish our government newsletter The Ontario Steakholder (OS) in 2006, with four issues going out over the course of the year. OS is the tool that allows OCA to provide government with the inside information needed to gradually build a better understanding of our industry, so that politicians are better able to work on your behalf – in peacetime and in war.