Toronto, Ontario, Wednesday, March 29, 2017

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What a pleasure it is to be here today for this exciting announcement!

This is an extraordinarily generous gift from the Arrell Family Foundation.

And, wonderfully, it’s a donation that will be matched by the University of Guelph to create the Arrell Food Institute.

The Institute represents a bold new direction for food studies at the University of Guelph and in Canada.

With this initiative, you’re positioning Canada to be a world leader in the field. 

This gift will strengthen partnerships and learning within the university, across Canada and around the world.

It will support research chairs and contribute to leading-edge studies in this important field of study.

It will also support the next generation of scholars through the Arrell Scholarships.

And it will establish the Arrell Global Food Innovation Awards, which have the ambitious aim of being the world’s top food studies prize.

This is wonderful. It’s so important that we not only foster excellence in food studies, but recognize and celebrate it, too.

That’s how we build a culture of innovation and a culture of excellence.

With the announcement of this new institute, you are well on your way to putting the University of Guelph and Canada at the centre of an exciting new global innovation ecosystem.

None of it would be possible with the generosity of the Arrell Family Foundation, as well as the dedication and excellence of those who built the University of Guelph Food Institute into a world leader.

This track record is what paved the way for this generous gift to be received.

All of you share a sense of responsibility to deepen our understanding of food studies. People the world over benefit from learning in this field, and that’s what motivates you.

I know how much wisdom, tenacity, imagination and innovation is required to achieve such an ambitious dream.

I know it took a lot of hard work to get to this point, and that much hard work lies ahead, but the cause and the company are very good.

I thank and congratulate all of you who have together made this day possible.

I thank the University of Guelph for its vision, and I thank the Arrell Family Foundation for this extraordinary act of philanthropy.