Latest news with #BradyStrachan
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
Dr. Oz, U.S. billionaire offer to take B.C. ostriches ordered killed
Dr. Oz, U.S. billionaire offer to take B.C. ostriches ordered killed News Duration 2:42 An embattled B.C. ostrich farm is getting support from south of the border. As Brady Strachan reports, a couple of high-profile officials within the U.S. administration have met with Canadian authorities and asked them to preserve the ostriches for scientific research.
CBC
15-05-2025
- CBC
Man who killed UBC Okanagan security guard gets 15 years
The family of a young security guard killed on UBC's Okanagan's campus in 2022 was in court on Wednesday as her killer was sentenced. CBC's Brady Strachan reports.
CBC
01-05-2025
- CBC
VANSTRACHANBANISH
People in Indigenous communities along the North Coast of B.C. are protesting over the death of a Haida Gwaii man in an alleged hit and run. One man has been charged with second-degree murder. First Nation leaders say those who have associations with the accused have been banished from Haida Gwaii as well as other communities along Highway 16. Brady Strachan reports
CBC
15-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Avian flu cull order for B.C. ostrich farm to be reviewed in court today
Universal Ostrich in Edgewood had faced Feb. 1 deadline to cull birds after H5N1 was detected on farm A Federal Court judge will begin hearing arguments Tuesday in the case of a B.C. ostrich farm which has been ordered to cull its entire flock over avian flu concerns. Universal Ostrich is located on a rural road near Edgewood, in B.C.'s West Kootenay region, an approximately 175-kilometre drive east from Kelowna along a winding highway. Its entire flock of about 400 birds was ordered culled in February by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after H5N1 avian flu was detected in December — but the farm managed to get its birds a stay of execution until the court could rule on the merits of the cull order. The two-day hearing, which is set to be conducted virtually starting Tuesday, is the latest development in a case that has pitted public opinion in favour of the birds against officials who say that a cull would be in the best interests of public health. WATCH | Ostriches get stay of execution: Media | Court pauses cull order on B.C. ostriches ordered killed over avian flu fears Caption: The owners of an ostrich farm in the Kootenays have won a court injunction against the cull of hundreds of their birds. A federal agency ordered the farmers to kill off their herd after avian flu was detected at the site in December, but the owners are pushing back. Brady Strachan reports. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Universal Ostrich's owners have argued that its birds have achieved herd immunity after a few dozen died in December, and its birds do not pose a public health risk — even as the agency argues that depopulation is required regardless of the remaining birds' immunity status. "The National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease (NCFAD) identified that the current HPAI infection in these ostriches is a new variant of the virus not seen elsewhere in Canada," a CFIA spokesperson wrote in a statement sent to CBC News last month. "Continued transmission of avian influenza virus in animals and sporadic cases in people may increase the chance of changes to the virus itself that could lead to a human-to-human transmission scenario and/or more severe strains of avian influenza virus for humans." Image | Universal Ostrich Caption: Over 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich were ordered culled over avian influenza fears. B.C. is the province that has been most affected by highly pathogenic avian flu. (Brady Strachan/CBC) Open Image in New Tab The CFIA pointed to the first case of H5N1 avian flu in a B.C. teen last November, as well as a death attributed to the virus in the U.S., as proof the virus can cause severe disease. "Under Canada's stamping out policy, all domestic birds at an infected premises are depopulated to control the risk of further spread," the spokesperson wrote. The federal Health Ministry has also expressed support for the cull, saying the CFIA's legal team has asked for an expedited hearing and decision from the courts. Embed | Number of domestic birds impacted by H5-subtype avian flu per province Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. Birds not being bred for meat The farm's operators have said that a small percentage of its around 400 birds — 69 in total — have died of avian flu. But they say the rest of the flock has not shown any symptoms of the disease for months. Indeed, Universal Ostrich says its birds are being studied as part of a partnership with Japan's Kyoto Prefectural University, which has previously made headlines for its work with ostrich eggs and detecting COVID-19. Image | UNIVERSAL OSTRICH Caption: The farm says its ostriches pose little risk to the broader population, as they are flightless birds that are not being used for meat. (Submitted by Katie Pasitney) Open Image in New Tab Supporters say a cull fails to account for the specifics of the situation being faced by the farm's owners, Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski, who have raised some of the birds facing death for decades. The risks of flu spread from the ostriches is minimized, according to the farm's owners, because Universal Ostrich does not sell its birds for meat, and they cannot fly. "What's at stake? It's our food security. It's our agricultural industry," Katie Pasitney, Espersen's daughter and farm spokesperson, told CBC News ahead of the court hearing. "Our ostriches are just a catalyst in the movement for some change and correction of policy." WATCH | Ostriches faced widespread cull: Media | Ostrich farm faces Feb. 1 cull Caption: Katie Pasitney of Universal Ostrich introduces some of her Facebook followers to the ostriches who have been ordered killed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after avian flu was detected at the farm. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. The cull order and officials' assertions about the infected birds have become a flashpoint for a set of supporters who view the order to kill the birds, who can live for 30 or even 40 years, as an example of government overreach. Tensions have been high, with the RCMP saying they were investigating after one of the farm's ostriches was shot and killed on March 21. Ultimately, the CFIA's original cull order on Feb. 1 was halted by Federal Court Justice Michael Battista, who said he was satisfied by the arguments made that the farm would suffer "irreparable harm" should the cull have gone ahead, and that it had raised reasonable questions about whether a cull was necessary in the first place.
CBC
07-04-2025
- CBC
Search for missing person launched following earlier landslide near West Kelowna
Social Sharing RCMP say one person is missing following a pair of landslides near West Kelowna last week. On April 1, two landslides, including a massive 90-metre slide, shut down a road north of Lake Okanagan Resort between Vernon and West Kelowna. At the time, no injuries were reported. But on Monday, April 7, West Kelowna RCMP said they were opening a missing person investigation for an individual last seen in the area of the slide. "Police in that area have located unique items associated to the missing person and [Central Okanagan Search and Rescue] will be continuing the search for additional items today or tomorrow morning," it said Monday in a statement. WATCH | Landslides close road between Vernon, West Kelowna: Landslide closes the only direct road between Vernon and West Kelowna 5 days ago Duration 1:44 A debris slide in the central Okanagan has closed off the only direct road running between Vernon and West Kelowna. As Brady Strachan reports, it happened along steep slopes where a wildfire burned trees and vegetation two years ago. Officials say the area of the slide was "significantly impacted" by the 2023 McDougall Creek Wildfire, as "properties located in the post-wildfire areas are subject to a higher risk of potential debris flow runout and upstream diversion.
