Strengthening the National Native Seed Sector

The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) hosts a collaborative webinar that provides an update on the National Native Seed Strategy and features a variety of speakers leading impactful native seed and plant initiatives across the country. Additionally, Renny Grilz, co-owner of Blazing Star Wildflower Seed Company, and the Vice-President of the Native Seed Producers of Canada, gives a talk entitled “Scaling Restoration Starts with Seed: International Lessons for Canada”.

This collaborative webinar, entitled "Strengthening the National Native Seed Sector", features eight speakers. To begin, CWF's Carolyn Callaghan provides an update on the National Native Seed Strategy. Following this, speakers from six regional native seed and plant groups share information about their impactful initiatives:

Hilary Lefort (Yukon Seed & Restoration): "From the Ground Up: Building Community Based Native Seed Systems in the Yukon"
Carrina Maslovat (BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship): "Growing Resilience: Developing a Seed Bank Network for British Columbia"
Robert Sissons (Parks Canada): "Update on the Southern Alberta Native Seed Collaborative"
Chet Neufeld (Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan): "Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan Initiatives"
Jennifer Nantais (Carolinian Canada): "Implementing the Southern Ontario Seed Strategy (SOSS)"
Paul LaPorte (Ontario Native Plant Growers Association and Ephemeral Ark Native Plant Nursery): "Strengthening Native Species Through Collaboration and Genetic Integrity"

Additionally, Renny Grilz, Vice-President of the Native Seed Producers of Canada and co-owner of Blazing Star Wildflower Seed Company, presents a talk entitled "Scaling Restoration Starts with Seed: International Lessons for Canada". A summary of Renny’s talk follows:

Restoration at scale depends on reliable access to high-quality, regionally appropriate native seed. As a 2024 Nuffield Canada Contemporary Scholar, Renny Grilz traveled internationally to examine how other countries organize native seed production, seed banking, and restoration delivery.

In this presentation, Renny will share practical lessons from global native seed networks and explore how those insights apply to Canada. Topics include the role of policy in shaping seed supply, the importance of provenance and standards, and the value of collaboration among producers, conservation organizations, and governments. The talk will connect global experience to Canada’s National Native Seed Strategy and emerging regional initiatives supporting biodiversity and habitat restoration.