This paper considers the current and possible institutions (programs, policies, participants, etc.) that govern public Business Risk Management (BRM) in Canada. This is an important policy topic for two reasons: BRM spending accounts for the vast majority of public monies funneled to Canadian agricultural producers and the upcoming Canadian Agricultural Partnership includes a mandated BRM review and thus presents an opportunity to change these institutions in meaningful ways. We pay particular attention to the rhetoric surrounding greater involvement of private insurance, the lack of rhetoric regarding the use of crown corporations, and issues of subsidization. We conclude with policy recommendations favoring commodity‐specific revenue versus whole‐farm net margin insurance, a possible reduction in subsidy levels, and a call to reconsider the role of crown corporations. We also make programming recommendations regarding the discontinued use of private reinsurance, a reduction in the level of program reserves, and greater transparency. Ce document examine les institutions actuelles et potentielles (programmes, politiques, participants, etc.) qui gouvernent la gestion des risques d'entreprises (GRE) au Canada. Deux raisons rendent important ce sujet politique : les dépenses liées á la GRE totalisent la grande majorité des fonds publics accordés aux producteurs agricoles, et le futur cadre politique agricole offre l'occasion de modifier ces institutions de manière significative. Nous portons une attention particulière á la rhétorique entourant l'implication plus soutenue des assurances privées, á l'absence de rhétorique au sujet de l'utilisation de sociétés d'État, et aux enjeux de subvention. Nous concluons avec des recommandations politiques favorisant les assurances de revenus provenant spécifiquement de produits agricoles versus celles de la marge nette de l'exploitation globale, une potentielle réduction des niveaux de subvention, et un appel á tenir compte du rôle des sociétés d'État. Nous proposons aussi des recommandations de programmation concernant l'arrêt de l'utilisation des réassurances privées, une réduction du niveau des programmes de réserve, et une transparence accrue.

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BACKGROUND In 1991 , th e U.S. Geolog ica l Survey (USGS) bega n to implement a full-scale Nati onal Water-Quali ty Asse sment (A WQA) prog ram. The long-term goals of th e NA WQA prog ram are to describe the statu s and trends in the quality of a large, representati ve part of th e Nati on's surface-and groundwater resource and to prov ide a sound , sc ientific understanding of the primary natural and human fac tors affecting the quality of these resource In meeting th ese goals, the program will prod uce a wealth of water-qu ality information that will be useful to policy makers and manage rs at th e nati onal, State, and loca l levels. A major design feature of the NA WQA program wi ll enab le water-qu alit y inform ati on at different areal sca les to be integ rated. A major component of the prog ram is th e stud y-unit investi ga ti on. These investi ga ti ons comprise the principal bu ilding bloc ks of the prog ram on which natio nal-level assessme nt acti vities are based. The 60 study-uni t in vesti gatio ns th at make up the prog ram are hyd rologic systems that include pa rt s of mos t major rive r basi ns and aq uife r systems. The e stu dy un its cover areas of I ,200 to more than 65 ,000 quare mil es and incorporate about 60 to 70 pe rcen t of the ation' s wa ter use and popul ati on served by pub lic water supply. In 199 1, the Wh ite River bas in was among th e first 20 A WQA study units selected fo r stu dy unde r the full-cale impl ementati on plan .

Biosecurity is an increasingly prominent concern to the Canadian agri-food sector given heightened public awareness of animal welfare and the continued importance of trade. Due to the potential for large-scale animal depopulation and uncertain trade flow restrictions, the economic costs and animal welfare implications of disease outbreaks have prompted efforts to control their spread within and across trade boundaries. We build a partial equilibrium model of the beef supply chain in Ontario to examine the welfare impacts of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak inside and outside the province. Somewhat surprisingly, economic impacts for Ontario are not dramatically different between an outbreak within the province versus an outbreak in western Canada: losses total $245 and $217 million, respectively. When the outbreak occurs outside Ontario and provincial zoning is recognized, losses total only $93 million. Restrictions on international and, inter-and intra-provincial movement of livestock and beef products are the main driver of losses. A strength of our model is that we are able to disaggregate these impacts across the various market participants (i.e., producers, processors, retailers, consumers). Retailers and consumers incur little to no losses as imports from the United States easily fill shortages in supply. Production losses from livestock movement restrictions and depopulation are partially offset by higher prices, while processors bear the brunt of the losses due to reduced supply and higher livestock prices. La biosécurité revêt de plus en plus d'importance dans le secteur agroalimentaire canadien en raison de la sensibilisation accrue du public au bien-être animal et de l'importance soutenue du commerce. Compte tenu de l'éventualité d'un dépeuplement animalà grandeéchelle et de mesures pouvant restreindre le flux deséchanges commerciaux, le coûtéconomique deséclosions de maladies et leurs répercussions sur le bien-être animal ont stimulé les efforts afin de maîtriser leur propagation tantà l'intérieur qu'à l'extérieur des frontières commerciales. Dans la présenteétude, nous avonsélaboré un modèle d'équilibre partiel de la chaîne d'approvisionnement du boeuf en OntarioCanadian Journal of Agricultural Economics 65 (2017) INTRODUCTIONThe economic costs and animal welfare implications of disease outbreaks-such as the potential for large-scale animal depopulation and uncertain trade flow restrictionshave prompted efforts to control their spread within and across trade boundaries. As a small open trading economy, Canada's beef sector depends on cross-border movement of both livestock and animal products, and thus animal disease outbreaks can be especially harmful. Klein and Le Roy (2010) estimated the 2003 bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreak in Alberta caused $4.06 billion in losses to the Canadian beef industry; the temporary closure of live cattle export markets accounted for 96.5% of these losses. A similar outbreak today could have even larger consequences owing to the growth in agrifood tra...

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is to assess the quantity and quality of the earth resources of the Nation and to provide information that will assist resource managers and policymakers at Federal, State, and local levels in making sound decisions. Assessment of water-quality conditions and trends is an important part of this overall mission. One of the greatest challenges faced by waterresources scientists is acquiring reliable information that will guide the use and protection of the Nation's water resources. That challenge is being addressed by Federal, State, interstate, and local water-resource agencies and by many academic institutions. These organizations are collecting water-quality data for a host of purposes that include: compliance with permits and water-supply standards; development of remediation plans for specific contamination problems; operational decisions on industrial, wastewater, or watersupply facilities; and research on factors that affect water quality. An additional need for water-quality information is to provide a basis on which regionaland national-level policy decisions can be based. Wise decisions must be based on sound information. As a society we need to know whether certain types of water-quality problems are isolated or ubiquitous, whether there are significant differences in conditions among regions, whether the conditions are changing over time, and why these conditions change from place to place and over time. The information can be used to help determine the efficacy of existing waterquality policies and to help analysts determine the need for and likely consequences of new policies. To address these needs, the U.S. Congress appropriated funds in 1986 for the USGS to begin a pilot program in seven project areas to develop and refine the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. In 1991, the USGS began full implementation of the program. The NAWQA Program builds upon an existing base of water-quality studies of the USGS, as well as those of other Federal, State, and local agencies. The objectives of the NAWQA Program are to: Describe current water-quality conditions for a large part of the Nation's freshwater streams, rivers, and aquifers. Describe how water quality is changing over time. Improve understanding of the primary natural and human factors that affect water-quality conditions. This information will help support the development and evaluation of management, regulatory, and monitoring decisions by other Federal, State, and local agencies to protect, use, and enhance water resources. The goals of the NAWQA Program are being achieved through ongoing and proposed investigations of 59 of the Nation's most important river basins and aquifer systems, which are referred to as Study Units. These Study Units are distributed throughout the Nation and cover a diversity of hydrogeologic settings. More than two-thirds of the Nation's freshwater use occurs within the 59 Study Units and more than two-thirds of the people served by public water-supply systems...