Latest news with #KarenEspersen
National Post
16-07-2025
- Health
- National Post
Federal Court of Appeal reserves decision in B.C. ostrich farm's avian flu case
OTTAWA — The Federal Court of Appeal reserved its decision in a case involving two B.C. farmers who are fighting an order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to destroy around 400 ostriches after an outbreak of avian flu. Article content After hearing arguments on Tuesday in Ottawa, Justice Mary Gleason told the court that the panel of three judges will try to make a decision quickly, noting that the case dates back to December. Article content Article content Article content The CFIA ordered Universal Ostrich Farms to cull about 400 birds after 69 ostriches died in December and January. Article content Article content The agency tested two of the dead birds in January and found a 'novel reassortment' of the highly contagious avian flu virus, which had not been seen anywhere else in Canada. Article content It also fined the farm's owners, Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski, for failing to report the outbreak and for failing to adhere to quarantine measures. Article content The Federal Court denied the farm's application for a judicial review of the CFIA's order, ruling that the agency's decision was reasonable and procedurally fair, and that it is not up to the courts to resolve scientific disputes. Article content The courts granted a stay of the CFIA's order to destroy the herd while the case was appealed. Article content The farm's lawyer, Umar Sheikh, told the Federal Court of Appeal on Tuesday that the agency ordered all the ostriches to be culled just 41 minutes after receiving the positive test results. Article content Sheikh said in his arguments that there is evidence ostriches fare better than other birds in the case of an outbreak, with a lower mortality rate than chickens, for example. Article content Article content At issue in the appeal is the CFIA's application of the 'stamping out' policy, which is defined by the World Organization of Animal Health. Article content Article content The policy states that if highly pathogenic avian flu is discovered, steps must be taken to destroy any animals or things on the property that were infected or exposed, and the environment must be decontaminated. Article content Sheikh said the CFIA is applying the policy in a one-size-fits-all manner and argued that is not appropriate, pointing out that no ostriches have died on the farm since January and the farmers believe all the birds have recovered. Article content The court heard Tuesday that the virus can live in water and soil for months at a time, and that even seemingly healthy ostriches may spread the virus to other animals, including mammals. Article content Universal Ostrich Farms has said the loss of the herd would put their three-decade operation out of business. Article content The CFIA says the stamping out policy is a critical part of maintaining not only animal and human health, but also Canada's status as a reliable international trading partner.
The Province
14-07-2025
- General
- The Province
Federal Court of Appeal to hear arguments in B.C. ostrich farm avian flu case
Universal Ostrich Farm is owned by Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski. A website dedicated to their fight against the CFIA says they've been raising ostriches for more than 30 years. Published Jul 14, 2025 • Last updated 59 minutes ago • 3 minute read Karen Espersen, owner of Universal Ostrich Farm, shown with some of the 400 ostriches she owns that must be culled due to an outbreak of avian flu. Photo by Universal Ostrich Farm OTTAWA — The B.C. ostrich farmers who lost dozens of birds in an outbreak of avian flu last winter will be heading to the Federal Court of Appeal on Tuesday as they try to stop the remainder of their herd from being culled. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Universal Ostrich Farm near Edgewood was ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to cull about 400 birds after an outbreak of the highly contagious avian flu was discovered on the farm in December. The CFIA maintains a 'stamping out' policy, which includes the destruction of animals and the disinfection of the premises, as defined by the World Organization of Animal Health. The CFIA says it's a critical part of maintaining not only animal and human health, but also Canada's status as a reliable international trading partner. In a statement posted to its website in late May, the agency said 'all avian influenza viruses, particularly H5 and H7 viruses, have the potential to infect mammals, including humans.' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It noted that the birds on the B.C. farm were infected with a 'novel reassortment' of the virus that hadn't been seen anywhere else in Canada. The CFIA said keeping the herd alive 'increases the risk of reassortment or mutation of the virus, particularly with birds raised in open pasture where there is ongoing exposure to wildlife.' Universal Ostrich Farm is owned by Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski. A website dedicated to their fight against the CFIA says they've been raising ostriches for more than 30 years. The pair says destruction of the herd would force them to shut down the farming operation altogether. Until 2020, the birds were raised for meat. In recent years the ostriches have been part of a research project in collaboration with Dr. Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, president of Kyoto Prefectural University in Japan who is also known as Dr. Ostrich. Tsukamoto's research focuses on the antibodies in ostrich egg yolk that can block infectious diseases. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The outbreak last winter killed 69 of the 468 ostriches, the farm's website says, and an anonymous tipster reported the farm to the CFIA. The agency ordered the remaining ostriches to be culled by Feb. 1. The farm applied for an exemption for animals with rare genetics because of the research project, but the CFIA denied that application on Jan. 10. The agency said it wasn't provided documentation, including active research trial logs or detailed research protocols, and said the location isn't suitable for controlled trials or research. The farm then sought a judicial review, and was granted a stay of the cull order in the meantime. The CFIA has imposed 19 quarantine measures on the farm, according to the farm's website. It has also issued $20,000 in penalties for failing to report the outbreak and for failing to adhere to quarantine orders. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The CFIA said in a statement that the farm's actions 'reflect a disregard for regulatory compliance and animal-health standards.' Supporters spent several weeks camped out at the property in the early spring and have vowed to fight the CFIA's order. Over the weekend the farm hosted an event it billed as 'Farm Aid Canada,' with a range of musical performers playing over three days. They included Tamara Lich, an organizer of the 'Freedom Convoy' protest that brought downtown Ottawa to a standstill in early 2022, who was convicted in April of mischief for her role in the demonstration. The farm's owners said online that the event was a way to fundraise for the legal fees and travel costs of getting to Ottawa for Tuesday's hearing. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The case has garnered international attention, including from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz. The farm's owners declined Dr. Oz's offer to relocate the herd to his own Florida property. Kennedy wrote a public letter to the CFIA's president, Paul MacKinnon, arguing there was significant value in studying the birds' immune response to the virus. Universal Ostrich Farm applied to the Federal Court for a judicial review of the CFIA's order to cull the herd, and the court dismissed both applications on May 13. The judge ruled that the agency's decision to order the cull was reasonable and procedurally fair, and noted that it isn't up to the courts to resolve scientific disputes. The Federal Court of Appeal denied the farm's request for independent testing on June 20, and ordered an expedited appeal. The hearing is scheduled for one day. Read More Vancouver Canucks News Sports Betting News Local News
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Saga Of RFK Jr., Dr. Oz, And The Possibly Infectious Canadian Ostrich Wobble
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought us so much, including sext scandals, bulls**t citations (more on that below), and admittedly bad medical advice. Now, the gravelly voiced political scion wants to bless us with flightless birds that are quite possibly infected with a deadly virus. The birds in question are about 400 ostriches that are currently living on a farm in Canada's western British Columbia province. (I was today years old when I learned that a group of ostriches is apparently called a 'wobble.') This particular wobble was hit with a bird flu epidemic last last year that claimed the lives of 69 ostriches. Not very nice. Given concerns that bird flu, or H5N1, has spread to humans and could cause a major outbreak, officials in Canada have ordered the owners to kill the surviving members of the wobble. (I am taking every opportunity I can to use the word 'wobble' here because I find it inherently amusing.) Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski, who run Universal Ostrich Farms — which is home to the aforementioned wobble — have pushed back and argued that studying the birds could be beneficial. Most veterinarians and experts do not agree with this take, and the Canadian courts have not either. The fact scientists see the wobble as a public health threat has not deterred the Canadian right, which has turned the ostriches into something of a cause célèbre. Over on Facebook (of course), Esperson has styled herself as a 'digital creator' and 'leader in the ostrich industry in Canada.' In between making posts about sleeping among the possibly infected birds, Esperson has tried to amp up her support. 'We need people to come and surround our farm,' Esperson wrote on May 13. The call to action has apparently resulted in flag-waving busloads reminiscent of the anti-COVID-mandate trucker convoy protests that galvanized the Canadian right prior to its losses in this year's elections, which were widely seen as a referendum on President Trump. It also inspired some members of the Trump administration to get involved in yet another example of their efforts to connect with the global right wing. Last week, Kennedy sent a letter to Canadian officials urging them to spare the wobble and study it. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former reality television star who is Trump's administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, took things a step further and offered to house the animals on his massive Florida ranch. So far, Canada has seemingly remained unmoved by these appeals. For her part, Esperson has tried to co-opt liberal-coded language to bring them on board. Her posts about the standoff included one meme with a bold declaration: 'I IDENTIFY AS OSTRICH' — Hunter Walker A preview of what Republicans are up against as they prepare to wrestle the Big, Beautiful bill through the Senate. A look at the Trump administration's often comically misguided reliance on AI. A suggestion that we take the long view on society's recent lurch toward ultranationalism and isolationism. 'We're all going to die,' Sen. Joni Ernst reminds us. Let's dig in. The Senate is preparing to take up the House-passed reconciliation package starting next week. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will have to coordinate opposing demands for changes to the bill from the senators in his caucus, just as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had to in the House. Some are asking for more spending cuts than what the House bill included in order, they say, to shrink the amount by which the bill would increase the deficit. Others are unhappy with the cuts to Medicaid and the rollback of the Biden-era clean energy tax cuts. Thune can only lose three votes, so he will have to walk a fine line to find a compromise for those in his caucus. But he will also have to avoid making major changes to the package, because those changes would then have to be voted on again by the House. Any change could backfire, breaking the delicate balance on which Johnson spent weeks building the bill. So far, it is unclear if Senate Republicans will hold committee markup hearings or take the package straight to the Senate floor, where senators would still have the opportunity to make changes. Markup hearings would also mean Democrats could force the members on each committee to take uncomfortable votes on amendments they propose to specific provisions, getting Republicans on the record for their stance around the unpopular cuts to the safety net programs. 'Why would we subject ourselves to a whole bunch of amendments from Democrats when the Republican members in various committees certainly have all the opportunity… to have their say without needing to go through the brain damage of an official markup?' Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said according to Punchbowl. We will know more in the coming days, but considering the pushback House Republicans received from the public during their hearings, Senate Republicans could very well skip that step and avoid the spectacle. — Emine Yücel In mid May, the Trump administration rolled out its 'MAHA report,' a purported effort to get to the bottom of America's poor health outcomes. The report was cast as a collaboration between various Cabinet secretaries and advisors, including, of course, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services. As you likely already know, it now appears that an AI chatbot was among the report's true authors. The DC news outlet NOTUS first determined on Thursday that many of the studies referenced in the report don't exist. The report misstated the findings of others. In some cases, the report cited real researchers, but claimed they had authored papers or come to conclusions they had not. The Washington Post soon sought an answer to the obvious question, and found Chat GPT appears to be at least partially to blame. Some of the URLs cited, the Post found, include 'oaicite,' a marker inserted into citations generated by OpenAI, the company behind Chat GPT. This isn't the first time the administration has turned to AI to help it complete its work on time, a move more expected of high school students than advisors to the president. DOGE reportedly used a Meta AI model to review federal workers' Elon Musk-demanded lists of the five things they had done that week. Trump's mathematically unsound 'liberation day' tariffs were widely speculated to be the work of artificial intelligence, making use of a formula that many AI chatbots recommend. 'A number of X users have realized that if you ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or Grok for an 'easy' way to solve trade deficits and put the US on 'an even playing field,' they'll give you a version of this 'deficit divided by exports' formula with remarkable consistency,' the Verge reported. (Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick tried to laugh off the possibility AI was involved during a Face the Nation interview.) Tech CEOs flood us with increasingly dire warnings of what their products will do to our society: AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white collar jobs in five years, Anthropic's CEO claimed in a round of media appearances this week. But, for now, it appears these products are not quite ready to replace government experts. At least, not with the prompts administration officials have been giving them. — John Light We might have imagined that, with the rise of the internet and the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere, we'd move toward a more open, dynamic world. Yet, in 2025, the opposite appears to be the case: a cycle of contraction. In the United States, the Trump administration is clamping down on immigration in the name of border security, safety and 'Western values.' Italy's right-wing government recently restricted immigration, paring back its long-standing Jure Sanguinis policy through which someone — me, for example — could claim citizenship by demonstrating an unbroken chain from my great-grandpa, who emigrated to America, to myself. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Cabinet this week announced its intent to abolish a fast-track-to-citizenship program in an attempt to restrict migration into Germany. Earlier this month, the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the desire to end what he called the 'failed experiment in open borders.' Where to begin? Border security is a fraught issue and the concerns are not exclusive to the right, as Starmer illustrates. But, in the end, we all lose. The demonization of immigrants in the name of safety, or the even greater canard of 'protecting culture,' only serves to weaken the human spirit. It becomes more difficult to share wisdom and learn about the rich and glorious constellation of lifeways that exist. We doom people to lives they don't want to live and foreclose opportunities that may exist elsewhere. It's easy to forget that the 'nation state' as we conceive of it didn't exist until the 16th century. The indigenous peoples of America used to range for hundreds of miles, learning from and trading with others. It's not a given that the world will move, linearly, toward greater and greater interconnectedness and integration, as many predicted just a decade ago. As technological innovation expands our abilities to communicate and to travel, this thinking went, the world should get smaller. Cultures should synthesize and understanding of the other should deepen. But that progress — a word some may take issue with — is anything but linear. If you pick a point in time long ago and compare it to today, it may appear that way. But hidden within the millennia and centuries and decades are cycles of greater and lesser freedom of movement and greater and lesser acceptance of other cultures. In many ways, recent years see us trending toward a more static, staid way of life. I tend to believe these things are cyclical, this trend won't last forever. But that doesn't necessarily help in the short run for those of us alive right now. — Joe Ragazzo 'Well, we're all going to die.' That was Sen. Joni Ernst's (R-IA) response this week when she was confronted by constituents shouting at her during a town hall that cuts to Medicaid and SNAP would cause people to die. The Iowans were, of course, referring to the reconciliation package that the House passed last week, adding additional, last-minute Medicaid cuts to appease House Freedom Caucus members who were threatening to sink the bill without steeper cuts to shrink the amount by which the bill would increase the deficit. Ernst's response received raucous pushback from the crowd. 'For heaven's sakes. For heaven's sakes, folks,' Ernst continued. 'What you don't want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable. Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect. We will protect them.' But, as we've been reporting, the massive cuts in the bill will lead to millions losing their health care coverage. — Emine Yücel
Vancouver Sun
27-05-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. ostrich cull controversy: How we got here and what happens next
In December 2024, a flock of wild ducks landed on a pond at Universal Ostrich Farm in the small community of Edgewood in the West Kootenays, bringing with them the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu. Within weeks, 69 ostriches died, leading to a visit from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which ordered the remaining 400 ostriches be killed to avoid further spread of the disease. As of May 26, the birds are still alive, thanks to court action taken by the farm owners that has slowed the process, growing community support and most recently a request from the U.S. government that the birds be studied, not culled. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Here's what to know about the case: Avian flu viruses occur naturally among wild birds and spread easily from bird to bird. In 2022, a more infectious avian flu virus appeared in poultry farms in Canada and the U.S. In B.C., more than eight million domestic birds have either died from the virus or been ordered culled by the CFIA. The virus has now spread to dairy cattle, foxes, skunks, marine mammals and more. There have also been isolated reports of the virus in goats and in a pig in the U.S. In November 2024, the B.C. Ministry of Health reported its first case of bird flu in a human — a teenager living in the Fraser Health region who has since recovered. Universal Ostrich Farm was founded in 1995 by Karen Espersen and sells bird oil, feathers and skins. It is involved in an international program to produce antibodies and, ultimately, a vaccine to manage the H5N1 avian flu pandemic. Espersen's daughter Katie Pastiney said CFIA agents arrived at the farm on Dec. 31 and took a swab sample from two of the birds that had died. On Jan. 9, the CFIA emailed a letter to the family stating the ostriches are considered to be poultry, and that all birds on the farm would need to be destroyed by Feb. 1, 2025. If the family could not kill the birds themselves, the CFIA offered to hire a third party to do the work. Pastiney said her family decided to fight the order and met with an agribusiness lawyer the following week. On Jan. 9, Steve Morissette, the B.C. NDP MLA for Kootenay-Monashee, wrote a letter to the CFIA stating his opposition to the cull order. Following the first reports of the controversy, Vancouver animal defence lawyer Rebeka Breder said the proposed cull order could be deemed unlawful animal cruelty. 'I don't know how they can kill this many large birds humanely or without cruelty,' Breder told The Vancouver Sun on Jan. 15. She said cruelty to animals is against the Criminal Code of Canada and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in B.C. Section 441 of the Criminal Code states an animal owner cannot wilfully 'permit to be caused unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal or a bird.' Pastiney said it was not possible to shoot the large and heavy birds because it would cause mass panic. She said they did not have an enclosed space to gas them and it would difficult to round them up and slit their throats. At this point, supporters began camping outside the farm. Universal Ostrich Farm received a court injunction to delay the cull order pending a Federal Court review. On May 13, a Federal Court judge rejected two judicial reviews brought by the farm against the CFIA order. Universal Ostrich Farm argued the birds should be saved because they had developed herd immunity to avian flu and could contribute to the fight against the disease. The court ruled that it could not make a decision based on the current health of the animals, but only on the decision made by the CFIA at the time. The judge noted that Parliament empowered the CFIA to face public health threats like avian flu, authorizing it to 'act decisively making swift decisions with far-reaching consequences, often under conditions of scientific uncertainty.' Following the ruling, more supporters gathered at the farm on the western shore of the Upper Arrow Lakes. On Monday, the farm owners filed an appeal in Federal Court in Vancouver, in a bid to overturn the May 13 ruling. The RCMP began monitoring the farm following the Federal Court ruling, noting 'increased tensions' and protest action at the site. On May 23, Pastiney posted a video on social media saying a large drone had flown over the property between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. and one of their 'biggest, beautiful roosters' was shot dead. She said that Mounties have been collecting statements from witnesses, and that there is a 'clear entry wound and exit wound' through the bird that died. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Brett Urano said the RCMP was an 'impartial party' in protests, taking a 'measured approach' to ensure public safety, and police liaison officers have been visiting the farm regularly to communicate with the protesters. Last week, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked the CFIA to study the ostriches' response to the flu rather than cull them. Kennedy, who oversees the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, wrote a letter to CFIA president Paul MacKinnon saying there would be 'significant value' in studying the ostriches' immune response to avian flu. 'It's our hope that this collaboration will help us understand how to better protect human and animal populations and perhaps lead to the development of new vaccines and therapeutics,' Kennedy said in a social media post. The CFIA remains committed to culling the flock, but has not revealed when that will take place, or how. With files from Canadian Press dcarrigg@
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
RCMP speak to protesters at B.C. ostrich farm, warn of possible arrests as bird cull looms
RCMP visited a B.C. ostrich farm on Wednesday, where dozens of people have gathered to protest the ordered culling of 400 birds, which a federal judge ruled last week could go ahead. The farm's owners have been fighting the order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) since December, when some of their birds first tested positive for avian flu. On Wednesday, four officers, some wearing uniforms identifying them as liaison officers, visited Universal Ostrich in Edgewood, B.C., while reporters from CBC/Radio-Canada were on site. The farm's owners, Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski, listened to the officers from behind a fence, surrounded by a few dozen of their ostriches, while police spoke to Espersen's daughter Katie Pasitney, who has been acting as a spokesperson for the farm. About 20 protesters of the few dozen on site also gathered to speak to the police and livestream the police told protesters and the farm's owners that they want whatever happens at the farm to be lawful and peaceful, with one officer saying that if protesters want to be arrested, police "don't want anyone to get hurt." The officer said they want people's right to protest respected, but if arrests begin, they want it to happen "peacefully." Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, told the officers in the meeting that lasted less than an hour that "people are on edge," as she asked police not to bring weapons onto the property. An unidentified officer was asked when the cull might happen but said he had "no idea." The CFIA has said it will be moving froward with the cull despite the local regional district passing a motion saying it will not accept the birds' carcasses at local landfills until the CFIA conducts more tests on the birds and makes those results public. Universal Ostrich says 69 of its birds died during an avian flu outbreak earlier this year, but argues the remainder are healthy and do not pose a risk. The CFIA, though, says it must kill all birds in infected flocks due to the risk of avian flu mutating and passing back and forth between domestic and wild bird populations, potentially impacting human health. "The CFIA will begin the humane depopulation and disposal of birds at the infected premises with veterinary oversight. Operational plans and dates will not be shared with the public in advance," the CFIA said in a statement. "We have a duty to protect Canadians from the serious potential risks that avian influenza presents to our people and our economy." That position was upheld by a federal court judge last week who ruled the CFIA has the authority to make complex decisions based on scientific and economic priorities. The agency said Saturday that under the Health of Animals Act, if an owner refuses to meet the depopulation requirements the CFIA could move forward itself or use a third-party contractor and potentially withhold part or all compensation normally due to owners. The court decision says the farm could be compensated up to $3,000 per ostrich, potentially representing a payout of about $1.2 million if all of the roughly 400 birds are culled.
