Flax Council of Canada Closing Its Doors
Winnipeg, Manitoba (January 8, 2018) – After 32 years of representing the interests of all
agricultural and industrial flax interests, the Flax Council of Canada’s Executive Committee regrets
to announce the closure of its office at 465-167 Lombard Avenue in Winnipeg, effective January
31, 2018.
The Flax Council of Canada will continue to operate on a reduced service basis.
The Flax Council of Canada is a national organization, funded by a voluntary export levy.
Established in 1986, the Flax Council promotes the advancement of Canadian flax and flax
products including nutritional and industrial uses in domestic and international markets.
“Over the course of the past year, the formation of a combined oilseed council was thoroughly
discussed at the request of some of our members that contribute significant levy dollars to the
Council. Through these discussions, it became apparent that the formation of an oilseed council
would not materialize in the foreseeable future. The result of this is a significant loss of funding to
the Council, necessitating cost reduction measures.”
Recognizing the importance of a national voice, further dialogue will be needed to see what
opportunities may lay ahead as the flax industry decides the merit of a national organization.
The Flax Council played a key role in managing the aftermath following the detection of CDC Triffid
seed in shipments to the EU, providing financial support to significant testing protocols in an effort
to remove Triffid from the seed supply in Canada.
Since 2013, the Flax Council has managed more than 6.2 million dollars in research and market
development programs with the support of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Manitoba
Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and both the Saskatchewan Flax Development
Commission and Manitoba Flax Growers Association.
The Flax Council Executive and Board of Directors wishes to thank its staff who have worked hard
and with professionalism for the flax industry during their time with the Flax Council of Canada.
We wish them well in their future endeavours.
For more information, contact:
Brian Johnson, Chair
Flax Council of Canada
2043765228
bjohnson@johnsonseeds.com
Download Media Release PDF, 75 kb
