I appreciate the question coming from the member for Peterborough because he actually has an innovation cluster in his riding, in the city of Peterborough, that really is all-encompassing, including food production. I very much appreciated the opportunity to visit that with him recently.

I want to touch on the fact that we are not resting on our laurels, Speaker. We’re continuing to invest so that farmers and processors alike understand that they finally have a government in Ontario that is working with them to continue to increase production. We’re investing $25 million, in partnership with the feds, through the Sustainable CAP program. But the total results are going to be driven by Ontario farmers and processors through the Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative. This is going to reap incredible returns.

I think we need to recognize that all of our sectors are increasing production, and now we need the food processing to continue to innovate and match what the farmers are doing on the land.

I think it’s safe to say that we appreciate very much that farmers are early adopters of new technologies and best practices to drive production numbers, and our processors stand beside them in that regard. I read recently that researchers are forecasting an increase of US$12 billion to be invested in information technology, robotics and sensors that are going to continue to drive innovation, and it’s important that our legislation here provincially in Ontario matches what is happening on the ground.

And so that is why it’s very important that in tandem to investing in significant processes that lead to innovation, we need to make sure we catch up our legislation as well. That’s why I was very pleased to present Bill 155 last week, so we can amend the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario Act and make sure it’s modernized and supporting farmers and processors alike, so we continue to stay on the forefront—

From the minister’s response, it’s clear that adopting new innovations and technology processes is crucial to ensuring the continuous growth of our agriculture and food sectors, and she’s absolutely correct: The innovation cluster in Peterborough does a fantastic job of promoting it. But beyond that, I’m going to take a second and say Trent University has an experimental farm that is absolutely fantastic, and invite everyone to come down and see it.

At a time when food security is paramount, meeting the goals of the Grow Ontario strategy remains a top priority. All Ontarians deserve consistent and reliable access to affordable and nutritious food, and that’s why our government must continue to make investments that will support our farmers and food producers to enhance food production.

Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how the Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative will help to strengthen Ontario’s agriculture and food sector?