The Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) is gearing up for its annual Organic Leadership Awards and evening gala this April in Vancouver, celebrating the remarkable achievements of organic leaders. 

Nature’s Emporium, founded in 1993, opened its first store in Toronto on September 7, 2023. The 25,000 sq. ft. store is located at 1 York Street in Toronto’s South Core, just steps from Union Station. In addition to the new Toronto location, Nature’s Emporium has stores in Newmarket, Maple, Burlington, and Woodbridge, Ontario.

Jenn Slattery has joined the NOW Health Group/Puresource team as national sales manager.

Over the years, many natural retailers have had the chance to experience the Natural Factors Farm and plant tour in BC’s Okanagan Valley.

Mark your calendar now and join us for an unforgettable experience at the 2024 Guelph Organic Conference!

Thanks to a local health food store and the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation, St. John’s-Kilmarnock School in Breslau, Ontario, is excited to be creating a special gardening zone in the lower school playground, mounting a green wall, and upgrading its overall garden resources.

The Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) is turning 60! This milestone is being celebrated at CHFA NOW from April 2 to 5, 2024, at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building—taking advantage of all CHFA has in store to highlight how far the organization has come and to acknowledge the awesome community that has helped make this industry what it is today. 

Bruce Chapman has joined Bioforce Canada as GTA West territory manager. A long-time veteran of the natural health industry, Bruce most recently spent 17 years with Sisu Vitamins prior to a one-year hiatus.

The Organic Grocer is now doing business as Aura Natural Market. The award-winning natural health food store has been serving Surrey, BC for 30 years and has recently opened its second store in the Willoughby neighbourhood in Langley, BC.

When Leah Langlois opened Stay Wild Natural Health in Pemberton, BC, seven years ago, the move aimed to address a lack of availability of natural health items in the area—but she also wanted it to be more than just a place to shop for quality natural health products. She wanted it to be a welcoming and comfortable community space for people to browse, learn, read, enjoy a nutritious meal, share ideas, and meet new people. Since then, along with her dedicated team, Leah has grown Stay Wild into just that: a community hub built around natural health.

Causeway Natural Health, located in Humboldt, Saskatchewan and co-owned by Cathy McAnally and Andy McAnally, may have faced many challenges in the first 10 years—a problem many natural health retailers are familiar with—but they never gave up hope that their store would make it.

In the realm of natural health products, deciphering certifications on product labels has become an intricate puzzle for consumers. The challenges primarily revolve around the overwhelming variety of certifications and the lack of standardization across these certifications, creating significant hurdles in consumers’ quest for clarity and authenticity.

It was December 24, 1914: the first Christmas Eve of World War One. After five months of war, a one-and-a-half-day truce began between enemy troops. Reports varied across regions, but a theme emerged.

We Canadians cherish and take pride in the breathtaking beauty of our nation—from the rugged coastlines and boreal forests, to the great plains and majestic Rockies. However, to truly appreciate the nature around us, we need to understand the deeper bond between us and the Earth that lies beneath these mesmerizing green spaces—a connection that directly affects our health and well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic marked a pivotal turning point in how we lead our teams. As we move forward, I feel that empathy has to come first and foremost—now more than ever. And the best course of action we can take as leaders and changemakers in this post-pandemic world is to incorporate empathy in our business model.