How many Canadians do we have?

[Zakilevo]

LOL I have never seen moose before. I've seen countless deers -most dangerous animal in NA-...

[Chenier]

My igloo is very moose-proof and every morning before walking out into the all-year-round snow and ice, I munch on some tasty pancakes with maple syrup, whilst waving a hockey stick at the coverage of yesterday's Hockey Night in Canada, and the Molson's are sitting nearby too.

Speaking of maple syrup...

I'm completely OUTRAGED by the fixed market and quota system we have here in Québec! My grandfather always made maple syrup (in Ontario), but had to stop since a few years, so I've stopped receiving some for free (moving out of the house also limited my access to it). It's so damn expensive, with a student-sized budget! And even maple growers complain about how the rules are preventing them from selling as much as they want. They say that there would be "too much" of the product for the "demand", but god damn, I rarely buy it because of the price, but would *always* buy it if it was more reasonably priced! The quantity demanded varies according to the price! Nothing beats maple syrup as a sweetener. If it was more accessible, we could also transform it more, and encourage people to buy maple sugar instead of white sugar for example, maple products being produced locally and having many health benefits. Try telling people to buy maple sugar at the ridiculous price it's being sold now, though...

Quotas are such a stupid system. They make producers in-debt themselves to buy production rights (quotas) instead of investing in increasing production or promoting consumption.

[Zakilevo]

I don't understand what is the big deal with the maple syrup. It's just a kind of syrup. Why don't they just open up the market? I dislike the maple syrup myself but I think it is really dumb to limit it in terms of the market perspective.

[Chenier]

I don't understand what is the big deal with the maple syrup. It's just a kind of syrup. Why don't they just open up the market? I dislike the maple syrup myself but I think it is really dumb to limit it in terms of the market perspective.

It's regulated, like eggs. And chickens. And turkeys. And milk. In order to artificially keep prices high to make sure the production can earn the grower a decent income. Except it doesn't, because the prices of the quotas are ridiculously high because of their demand.

Maple syrup is nothing like other syrups, be it corn syrup or the disgusting sugar/water/chemical syrup. I understand that tastes vary and some can dislike it, but it's not the same at all. Maple syrup also has a ton of health benefits according to research.

[egamma]

They probably are doing it to keep Canadians from becoming as fat as us Americans.

[Chenier]

They probably are doing it to keep Canadians from becoming as fat as us Americans.

I don't see how. Instead of using healthier maple syrup, it makes people consume the less-healthy cheaper alternatives, like corn syrup. Which doesn't taste anywhere near as good.

[egamma]

I don't see how. Instead of using healthier maple syrup, it makes people consume the less-healthy cheaper alternatives, like corn syrup. Which doesn't taste anywhere near as good.

Then look at the other alternative--who benefits from the quotas?

it's not the consumers, and it's not the producers.

It's the government that sells the quotas, right? then the quotas are in place as a hidden tax.

[vonGenf]

Then look at the other alternative--who benefits from the quotas?

it's not the consumers, and it's not the producers.

It's the government that sells the quotas, right? then the quotas are in place as a hidden tax.

If only the government sold the quota - at least they'd get revenues. It is in fact a monopoly syndicate.

On the other hand, quotas allow a market for bootleg maple syrup. Everyone knows that bootlegged stuff is always better than the legal stuff....

[Chenier]

If only the government sold the quota - at least they'd get revenues. It is in fact a monopoly syndicate.

On the other hand, quotas allow a market for bootleg maple syrup. Everyone knows that bootlegged stuff is always better than the legal stuff....

Precisely. The system is designed that the ones who profit are those who were in the industry *when the quotas were implemented*, and afterwards favors the old over the new. Because quota prices started as being quite reasonable, sometimes these are at first given freely in order to give rights to produce as much as they were producing before the quota system. Basically, it creates a cartel, where the established people don't even have to bother being competitive anymore because the law prevents competitors from growing to the same level they achieved prior to the quotas.

And of course, people who bought their quotas years ago, when they retire, sell them for considerably more than they paid for. The speculation over quotas is ridiculous.

And then indeed, we get lower-quality syrup at superior quality prices. There's a rating system for maple syrup, and yet you *never* see it on bottles and cans at the super store. That's because the higher quality syrup never reaches them.

I'm not sure if this also applies to maple sap, though. If it doesn't, I very much plan on buying sap instead later on... I'm convinced that boiling it myself will cost me less than buying syrup, and that many producers have excess sap potential they can't do anything with.

[egamma]

Precisely. The system is designed that the ones who profit are those who were in the industry *when the quotas were implemented*, and afterwards favors the old over the new. Because quota prices started as being quite reasonable, sometimes these are at first given freely in order to give rights to produce as much as they were producing before the quota system. Basically, it creates a cartel, where the established people don't even have to bother being competitive anymore because the law prevents competitors from growing to the same level they achieved prior to the quotas.

And of course, people who bought their quotas years ago, when they retire, sell them for considerably more than they paid for. The speculation over quotas is ridiculous.

And then indeed, we get lower-quality syrup at superior quality prices. There's a rating system for maple syrup, and yet you *never* see it on bottles and cans at the super store. That's because the higher quality syrup never reaches them.

I'm not sure if this also applies to maple sap, though. If it doesn't, I very much plan on buying sap instead later on... I'm convinced that boiling it myself will cost me less than buying syrup, and that many producers have excess sap potential they can't do anything with.

You should research the amount of sap it takes to create syrup. Not worth the effort if you ask me.

[Chenier]

You should research the amount of sap it takes to create syrup. Not worth the effort if you ask me.

40 times if I remember correctly, no?

It's all about having the right equipment to be able to do enough of it at once.

[Norrel]

On the other hand, quotas allow a market for bootleg maple syrup. Everyone knows that bootlegged stuff is always better than the legal stuff....

Only in Canada

[Zakilevo]

I doubt the government is regulating it to keep the canadians from becoming fat like americans. Canadians say Americans are fat but to me they are just as fat maybe in a smaller scale but it does not change the fact they are still fat!

[Adriddae]

I'm close enough to the border that buying milk and cheese in the US is cheaper than in Canada.

[Chenier]

I'm close enough to the border that buying milk and cheese in the US is cheaper than in Canada.

I'm about two hours away from the closest US towns, I can therefore cut my plane tickets by half by driving to the states, taking a small airplane to Albany, and then heading for Europe from there than by having someone drop me off at whichever close international airports and leaving from here.

I really hate these quota systems. I'm all for supporting our agriculture, but I deem quotas to be a really bad way to do it.