Honourable Robert Black

The Senate agriculture committee, led by Senator Rob Black, wrapped its public hearings on soil health and the report was published June 6. Its report is expected to be made public in late spring of 2024. The Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry completed a new study on the status of soil health in Canada, releasing its final report Critical Ground: Why Soil is Essential to Canada’s Economic, Environmental, Human, and Social Health. During his presentation, Rob will discuss the importance of soil, the work that led to this study and the final report, it results and recommendations. 
  
Bio: Rob has worked in the rural, agricultural and leadership arenas for much of his working career. He has had close involvement with 4-H Ontario 4-H, Canada and other leadership programs, such as Junior Farmers and the Advanced Agricultural Leadership Program (AALP). He is a Past President of the Canadian 4-H Council. And was Ward 5 representative on Wellington County Council. He is also a past manager of the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund and president of the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame Association and the Wellington County Historical Society. 
  
Rob worked with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for 15 years then spent five years as the executive director of 4-H Ontario. He then accepted the role of executive director of The Centre for Rural Leadership, which morphed into the Rural Ontario Institute (ROI). Rob became a senator for Ontario in 2018. Since then, he has worked on several issues of importance to Canadians through his role and is the chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry and a member of Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament and the Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament. He served as the Chair of the Canadian Senators Group (CSG) from its inception in 2019 until October 2023. 
  
Rob and his wife Julie live north of Fergus Ontario and have four grown children and three grandsons.