Food Inflation Government Meddling & Aquaculture Controversy in BC with Guests Isaiah Robinson, Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation, Stephanie Columbo, Canada Research Chair in Aquaculture, & Tim Kennedy, Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance

In this podcast interview, the discussion revolves around aquaculture and its significance. Isaiah, Stephanie, and Tim share their perspectives on various aspects of salmon farming in British Columbia. Stephanie explains what aquaculture is and why it should matter to the listeners. Isaiah talks about the role of aquaculture in his community and local economy. Michael raises the controversy surrounding salmon farming, while Stephanie explores the scientific evidence regarding the impact of ending salmon farms on wild salmon. Sylvain addresses the opposition of First Nations in BC to salmon farming and discusses the federal government's commitment to transitioning the salmon sector. The conversation also touches upon new technologies for enhancing the sustainability of salmon farming. Isaiah discusses the willingness to adopt new technologies and the potential consequences of losing aquaculture.

Our guests:

Isaiah Robinson, Elected Councillor of Kitasoo Xai'xais Nation & General Manager of Kitasoo Development Corporation & Stephanie Columbo, Canada Research Chair in Aquaculture, & Tim Kennedy, President & CEO at Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance

For More Information

www.lovesalmon.ca

www.aquaculture.ca

"Towards blue revolution" FAO 2022. https://www.fao.org/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture

"Towards achieving circularity and sustainability in feeds for farmed blue foods" Colombo et al 2022. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/raq.12766

"Exploratory analysis on Canadian consumer perceptions, habits, and opinions on salmon consumption and production in Canada" Osmond, Charlebois, Colombo, 2023. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10499-022-00972-x

"Extracted microbial oil from a novel Schizochytrium sp.(T18) as a sustainable high DHA source for Atlantic salmon feed: Impacts on growth and tissue lipids" Wei et al 2021. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0044848620339557

Image: Spirit Bear Lodge

In the news, we look at the British Government's attempt to control food prices, the Canadian Federal Government's July Grocery rebate going out to Canadians and its impact on food inflation and food affordability, online grocery, home delivery and France's Best Baguette Competition.

 

About Stefanie

Dr. Stefanie Colombo is an Associate Professor at Dalhousie University and Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Aquaculture Nutrition. Her research focuses on understanding nutrition in farmed fish, to improve aquaculture sustainability and productivity. She has published over 60 scientific papers and 5 book chapters. She has been an invited keynote speaker at several national and international conferences. She has received the Dalhousie’s President’s Research Excellence Award for an Emerging Investigator and the Faculty of Agriculture’s Early Career Research Excellence Award, as well as Innovator of the Year by the Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia.

 

About Tim

Timothy Kennedy began his work leading the national association for Canada’s seafood farming sector in April 2017 as President & CEO of the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA). He’s passionate about the future and potential of sustainable seafood farming for Canada and the world. Tim has worked for over 20 years in Ottawa with experiences as a political and policy advisor, a senior government relations consultant working with leading clients in the natural resources and sustainability sectors, and as a Vice President for a major North American energy company.

 

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.

He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.

Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre’s Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa.

 

About Michael

Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada and the Bank of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, Today's Shopping Choice and Pandora Jewellery.   

Michael has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. ReThink Retail has added Michael to their prestigious Top Global Retail Influencers list for 2023 for the third year in a row. 

Michael is also the president of Maven Media, producing a network of leading trade podcasts, including Remarkable Retail , with best-selling author Steve Dennis, now ranked one of the top retail podcasts in the world. 

Based in San Francisco, Global eCommerce Leaders podcast explores global cross-border issues and opportunities for eCommerce brands and retailers. 

Last but not least, Michael is the producer and host of the "Last Request Barbeque" channel on YouTube, where he cooks meals to die for - and collaborates with top brands as a food and product influencer across North America

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Visiting Professor in Food Policy and Distribution at McGill University and a Professor in Food Distribution and Policy in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University.

Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. He is one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability with over 775 published peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Charlebois is also an editor for the prestigious Trends in Food Science Technology journal. 

He co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries and which is the most listened Canadian management podcast in Canada. 

Every year since 2012, he has published the now highly anticipated Canadian Food Price Report, which provides an overview of food price trends for the coming year. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, nationally as well as internationally. He has testified on several occasions before parliamentary committees on food policy-related issues as an expert witness. He has been asked to act as an advisor on food and agricultural policies in many Canadian provinces and other countries.

With extensive experience collaborating with businesses, governments, and NGOs, Dr. Charlebois combines academic rigor with practical expertise, making him one of the most influential voices in the global agri-food landscape. His work continues to advance the understanding of food systems, fostering innovation and resilience in a rapidly evolving industry. In 2025, he received the prestigious Charles III medal recognizing his tremendous work in informing Canadians about food issues.

 Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.