At Ecodairy farm in Abbotsford, the animals wear smart tech.
Around each cow's neck is a blue necklace that can help a robotic milking machine identify them. On their ears, they wear a machine that can do things like monitor their heartrate. Think Fitbit, but for cows.
Scott Johnson, the manager of the farm, says wheatgrass is grown vertically indoors. In about the size of a classroom, the farm can grow more than 50 hectares' worth in a year.
Johnson told reporters even with last year's heat dome and flooding, there was feed for the cows.
This is what agritech is all about: improving farming through technology, and also making it more resilient in the face of extreme climate emergencies.
Bill Vanderkooi is the founder of the farm, which hosted a government announcement Thursday. The province is investing up to $6.5 million over three years and Ottawa up to $10 million dollars over five to launch the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation this fall at Simon Fraser University's Surrey campus.
"We're looking at things like feeding seaweed to reduce methane in beef production or dairy production," explained Vanderkooi when asked about the type of solutions the centre would bring.
Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon said he toured the province and found – from flooding in the Fraser Valley to new pests in the Interior – there was a demonstrated need to improve food security.
Some of the other projects to be investigated include sensors that can monitor which plants need more water, to preserve water and optimize water use. Another may even look to see if Abbotsford can grow sushi rice.
"I feel like this is a seed and the start, to see if we can answer those questions," said Vanderkooi.
The centre will look at practical ways to improve farming practices. The province claims the project will create up to 200 jobs.
Hockey Canada says members of its 2003 men's world junior hockey championship team is being investigated for a group sexual assault. Hockey Canada says it has immediately contacted Halifax police about the allegations because that city as the co-host city of the 2003 championship.
Frustrations are mounting as reports of lost and delayed baggage at Canada's airports pile up. On CTVNews.ca, passengers share their stories of spending weeks, even months, waiting to be reunited with their checked baggage.
A dispute over legal protections for American customs officers has kept Nexus enrolment centres closed in Canada more than three months after they reopened south of the border -- due in part to a clash over U.S. agents' right to carry guns on Canadian soil.
The Canadian government will increase old age security starting next week, a move the feds say will be the first permanent raise to the pension in nearly 50 years.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's concerned sports organizations are not fulfilling their responsibility to keep athletes safe, and groups like Hockey Canada and Gymnastics Canada have work to do to restore trust and assure parents their children are taken care of.
The MV Holiday Island ferry was evacuated Friday afternoon after a fire broke out in the engine room earlier in the day.
With Pope Francis set to embark on a six-day 'penitential' visit to Canada this Sunday, Indigenous people say they hope the pontiff goes beyond delivering a simple apology.
A West Virginia man charged with trying to kill his sister, who recently awakened from a two-year coma and identified him as her attacker, has died less than a week after his arrest, authorities said Friday.
A huge unsanctioned procession of up to 1,000 Hells Angels bikers rolled into Toronto on Thursday.
BC Ferries made the unexpected announcement Friday that it had fired its CEO Mark Collins, effective immediately.
The actions of the RCMP had no role in the death of a man who was found in his vehicle on the shore of the Saanich Inlet late last year, British Columbia's police watchdog has found.
His collection of instruments (which he refers to as his kids and vows to never sell) includes a rotating drum, fabricating material from a failed “fast ferry project” and a percussive apparatus compiled from pieces of an amusement park ride.
A four-day police and transit blitz tackling criminal activity and public disorder at CTrain stations across Calgary resulted in drug seizures, the issuing of hundreds of tickets and prevented four overdoses.
A Calgary preacher and his brother have successfully appealed their convictions for hosting public gatherings during the pandemic and will have their fines reimbursed.
Their symptoms may be less severe, but a study shows that nearly six per cent of children with COVID-19 still reported symptoms three months later.
Hockey Canada says members of its 2003 men's world junior hockey championship team is being investigated for a group sexual assault. Hockey Canada says it has immediately contacted Halifax police about the allegations because that city as the co-host city of the 2003 championship.
A 26-year-old man has been charged in connection to a brazen downtown shooting that put the public at high risk in May.
Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz is denying ever paying an underage ballerina $75,000 for 'sexual favours,' as was alleged in a civil suit filed earlier this month in Nevada.
The TTC is changing the signage used to direct commuters on its subway system.
A huge unsanctioned procession of up to 1,000 Hells Angels bikers rolled into Toronto on Thursday.
Ontario is now home to dozens of invasive jumping worms.
Young children in Quebec will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination next week, the province announced Thursday.
Montreal's transit agency announced Friday that its new CEO is Marie-Claude Leonard, a 30-year veteran employee who started working there as an STM cashier when she was a student.
Provincial police have launched a manhunt for a prisoner who escaped from a Quebec City prison with the help of two accomplices.
Lac du Bonnet RCMP are investigating a potential drowning in the Winnipeg River.
West Hawk Lake residents are unhappy with the province’s slow clean-up response after torrential rain and flooding rolled through the area earlier this week.
Shovels officially went in the ground Friday to kick-start the construction of the Northwest Hydro Corridor Multi-use Path Project.
The city is left footing the bill after a Saskatoon bridge was damaged in a hit-and-run earlier this year.
Warman RCMP are investigating after a Pride-themed crosswalk was defaced with hateful graffiti on two separate occasions.
Fire crews responded to a two-garage fire on July 21 around 7:20 p.m. in the Exhibition neighbourhood.
A committee looking to build a $35 million arena and tribute centre in Humboldt is looking for other funding sources after not getting a federal-provincial grant for recreation facilities, city manager Joe Day told CTV News.
Morse RCMP handed multiple tickets to a driver for speeding, as well as driving with three children who were not wearing seatbelts or in car seats.
With Pope Francis set to embark on a six-day 'penitential' visit to Canada this Sunday, Indigenous people say they hope the pontiff goes beyond delivering a simple apology.
The MV Holiday Island ferry was evacuated Friday afternoon after a fire broke out in the engine room earlier in the day.
Heat warnings remain in place throughout Eastern Canada, with Environment Canada warning of humidex levels in the mid to high 30s or even 40 C heading into the weekend.
Hockey Canada says members of its 2003 men's world junior hockey championship team is being investigated for a group sexual assault. Hockey Canada says it has immediately contacted Halifax police about the allegations because that city as the co-host city of the 2003 championship.
London police say a body has been found in an open field.
The Town of St. Marys is investigating what is being described as a "cyber security incident" that has locked the town's internal server and encrypted its data.
An overnight road closure on Highway 401 is now clear after police say a transport truck collided with a maintenance truck being used to protect crews painting lines on the road.
More than $38 million in bursaries, scholarships and other targeted donations to Laurentian University is gone, court documents filed this week show.
You often hear of Christmas in July and while the holiday is still months away, Santa and his helpers are already making preparations for the festive season.
The Conservative Party of Canada's plan to host a third leadership debate in August may be crumbling, with one candidate refusing to attend and another mulling whether it's really necessary.
As Waterloo Region District School Board attempts to restore its IT system after what it’s calling “cyber incidents,” CTV News has learned the breach is causing some staff and support workers to not get paid.
New data shows even though the average home price is coming down, higher stress tests driven by increasing mortgage rates mean the annual income you need to buy a home is actually going up in Kitchener and many Canadian cities.
Some of the best female golfers in Canada are taking part in the final round of the Canadian Women's Amateur Championship in Kitchener.
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