Latest news with #KarenEspersen
Yahoo
3 days ago
- 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.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
RCMP speak to protesters at B.C. ostrich farm, warn of possible arrests as bird cull looms
Social Sharing 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 conversation. WATCH | Protesters, RCMP visit Universal Ostrich: People gather at B.C. ostrich farm to protest order to cull flock of birds 1 hour ago Duration 2:52 The remote community of Edgewood, B.C., finds itself at the heart of a dispute. Demonstrators began gathering this weekend at Universal Ostrich farm, to protest the order to cull a flock of 400 ostriches. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the cull because two dead birds tested positive for the avian flu in December. 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.
Toronto Sun
13-05-2025
- Health
- Toronto Sun
Federal judge says cull of 400 ostriches at B.C. farm hit by avian flu can proceed
Published May 13, 2025 • 2 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 file photo / Postmedia Network VANCOUVER — A Federal Court judge has tossed out a challenge that would have stopped the killing of about 400 ostriches on a British Columbia farm that suffered an outbreak of avian flu. 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. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. 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 Don't have an account? Create Account The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the cull late last year after the flu outbreak, but the court granted a stay in January pending a judicial review. The family that owns Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood in southeastern B.C. has said the birds should be saved because they have developed herd immunity and could contribute to the fight against avian flu. However, the court ruled Tuesday that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's decisions were both reasonable and procedurally fair, with the judge saying 'courts generally stay out of scientific debates.' 'Courts must also respect the demonstrated scientific and technical expertise of administrative agencies,' the judgment says. 'When Parliament leaves technical or scientific assessments to specialized administrative bodies, it signals that those bodies, not the courts, are best positioned to make judgments on complex, expertise-driven matters.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The owners of the farm say the birds that survived the flu have recovered and are happy and healthy. But Federal Court Justice Russel Zinn says the disposal notice and denial of the farm's exemption happened in December 2024 and January 2025, and the court can't consider evidence that wasn't available to it when those decisions were made. He said the court 'would be faulting decision-makers for lacking a crystal ball.' 'This court cannot consider 'new' evidence, such as the current health status of the ostriches, recent test results or updated scientific developments,' the ruling says. More than 8.7 million birds have been culled in B.C. at hundreds of farms, most of them commercial, since the first outbreak of a highly contagious form of the avian flu occurred in the spring of 2022. Peace River North legislator Jordan Kealy, who supported the farmers' attempt to halt the cull, said he was 'heartbroken' by the decision. 'Right now we don't know when the CFIA might come after their animals,' Kealy said in a Facebook live video. 'I think this is an example of overreach that shouldn't happen. My heart goes out to the family.' Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Editorials World Canada
