Latest news with #McLaren-Caux
Hamilton Spectator
16-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Rural B.C. officials receive ‘gratitude' over landfill resolution before ostrich cull
NAKUSP - Aidan McLaren-Caux is used to being stopped in grocery store aisles by people who want to discuss issues as a local politician, but a federal agency's decision to cull a flock of 400 ostriches in Edgewood, B.C., has brought the region and local officials 'an extraordinary amount of attention.' 'A lot of the attention has come from elsewhere, so other parts of the province, and the country and even internationally,' he said Friday. 'It's definitely a topic of conversation at coffee shops.' McLaren-Caux is a board vice-chair with the Regional District of Central Kootenay, which passed a resolution Thursday not to allow the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to dispose of ostrich carcasses in its landfills pending further testing of the birds for avian flu. The agency ordered the birds destroyed in December after avian flu was found on the farm and a Federal Court ruled to uphold the decision earlier this week. More than 8.7 million birds have been culled in British Columbia since a highly infectious form of the avian flu showed up on farms starting in the spring of 2022. The board resolved 'to withhold acceptance, at any landfill' of ostrich carcasses from the farm, where the flock has been ordered destroyed by the agency. The board resolution says the landfill acceptance hinges on further testing by either the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or the Ministry of Agriculture, until the number of birds infected or exposed to the virus is confirmed. McLaren-Caux said the resolution's 'intentions are difficult to capture,' because it passed as written after an emotional meeting with supporters of the farm opposed to the planned cull. McLaren-Caux said regional officials received hundreds of emails before the meeting and the rationale behind the landfill resolution was to possibly give the farmers and ostriches 'a reprieve from the cull order.' 'I think all the directors have received many, many emails since yesterday from people expressing gratitude about the decision,' he said in an interview on Friday. 'Just looking at my email inbox, some of the messages that expressed relief or gratitude for our decision have come from people who expressed a very different opinion a day or two earlier.' He said the district has no authority over federal decisions, but it does have power over regional waste management, and given how the motion is worded, he believes any positive test for bird flu would mean 'our landfill would have to accept animals that had been culled.' The resolution does not specify whether the landfills will accept or reject the bird carcasses based on positive or negative tests. He said the regional government's limited powers mean that they had to try to adopt a 'balanced approach' to an issue that has galvanized people to flock to the farm property since it was thrust into the spotlight. 'The people who are supporting the farm have definitely taken advantage of kind of the viral nature of social media and YouTube and all the things to get support and support from even far away,' he said. Dozens of people have heeded the call of the farm's owners to converge upon the property, about 575 kilometres southeast of Vancouver, to stop the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from moving ahead with the cull of the flock of ostriches. McLaren-Caux said if the birds get tested and are found to be well, the hope is that the cull order will be rescinded. 'We have our legal, our kind of prescribed structures within which we have to work, but as human beings, none of us want to see this happen,' he said. 'You know, it's a small business, there's 400 large animals. None of us want to see them dead.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Rural B.C. officials receive 'gratitude' over landfill resolution before ostrich cull
NAKUSP — A member of a British Columbia regional district says a decision not to allow the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to dispose of ostrich carcasses in its landfills pending further testing of the birds has been met with "gratitude." The Regional District of Central Kootenay board resolved "to withhold acceptance, at any landfill" of ostrich carcasses from a farm in Edgewood, B.C., where as many as 400 ostriches are expected to be culled over exposure to the avian flu. The board resolution says the landfill acceptance hinges on further testing by either the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or the Ministry of Agriculture, until the number of birds infected or exposed to the virus is confirmed. Aidan McLaren-Caux, a board vice-chair with the regional district, says the resolution's "intentions are difficult to capture," because it passed as written Thursday after an emotional meeting with supporters of the farm opposed to the planned cull. McLaren-Caux says regional officials received hundreds of emails before the meeting and the rationale behind the landfill resolution was to possibly give the farmers and ostriches "a reprieve from the cull order," which was upheld by a Federal Court judge this week. He says the district has no authority over federal decisions, but it does have power over regional waste management, and given how the motion is worded, he believes any positive test for bird flu would mean "our landfill would have to accept animals that had been culled." He said the ostrich farm's plight has brought an "extraordinary amount of attention" to the region in southeastern British Columbia. "A lot of the attention has come from elsewhere, so other parts of the province, and the country, and even international," he said. "The people who are supporting the farm have definitely taken advantage of kind of the viral nature of social media and YouTube and all the things to get support and support from even far away. "It's definitely a topic of conversation at coffee shops," McLaren-Caux said. Dozens of people heeded the call of the farm's owners to converge upon the property, about 575 kilometres southeast of Vancouver, to stop the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from moving ahead with cull of the flock of ostriches. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025. The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rural B.C. officials receive ‘gratitude' over landfill resolution before ostrich cull
NAKUSP – A member of a British Columbia regional district says a decision not to allow the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to dispose of ostrich carcasses in its landfills pending further testing of the birds has been met with 'gratitude.' The Regional District of Central Kootenay board resolved 'to withhold acceptance, at any landfill' of ostrich carcasses from a farm in Edgewood, B.C., where as many as 400 ostriches are expected to be culled over exposure to the avian flu. The board resolution says the landfill acceptance hinges on further testing by either the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or the Ministry of Agriculture, until the number of birds infected or exposed to the virus is confirmed. Aidan McLaren-Caux, a board vice-chair with the regional district, says the resolution's 'intentions are difficult to capture,' because it passed as written Thursday after an emotional meeting with supporters of the farm opposed to the planned cull. McLaren-Caux says regional officials received hundreds of emails before the meeting and the rationale behind the landfill resolution was to possibly give the farmers and ostriches 'a reprieve from the cull order,' which was upheld by a Federal Court judge this week. He says the district has no authority over federal decisions, but it does have power over regional waste management, and given how the motion is worded, he believes any positive test for bird flu would mean 'our landfill would have to accept animals that had been culled.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. He said the ostrich farm's plight has brought an 'extraordinary amount of attention' to the region in southeastern British Columbia. 'A lot of the attention has come from elsewhere, so other parts of the province, and the country, and even international,' he said. 'The people who are supporting the farm have definitely taken advantage of kind of the viral nature of social media and YouTube and all the things to get support and support from even far away. 'It's definitely a topic of conversation at coffee shops,' McLaren-Caux said. Dozens of people heeded the call of the farm's owners to converge upon the property, about 575 kilometres southeast of Vancouver, to stop the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from moving ahead with cull of the flock of ostriches. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
