I worked in Extension in Montana and now work for extension in Saskatchewan. We don’t have the extension system that the USA does because we don’t have a federal act requiring provinces have extension systems like they do (Smith-Lever Act).
I would love it if every province had a strong extension system like Saskatchewan and Ontario do, however without regulation making it happen, it likely won’t. Provincial governments are under pressure to cut costs, if those of us in extension don’t prove our worth, we will get cut. Private entities and commodity groups are stepping in to help bridge that gap, but they can’t do it all. University researchers are also busy enough, they shouldn’t be responsible for meeting extension needs, when it isn’t in their job description to do so.