The fate of hundreds of ostriches at a property in the West Kootenays could be decided next week.
The Supreme Court of Canada announced this morning that it will reveal its decision on whether it will hear Universal Ostrich Farms’ appeal at 6:45 am PT on Thursday, Nov. 6.
“It’s miracle Friday,” Katie Patisney, the farm’s spokesperson and co-owner Karen Esperson’s daughter, wrote on Facebook today. “I woke up this morning and my stomach sank a little bit…The ending has been decided. We just need to believe.”
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The appeal, of course, is regarding the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s cull order for the approximately 400 ostriches who call the farm home.
If the leave application is granted, a final decision wouldn’t come until Universal Ostrich Farms has a chance to present its case to the Supreme Court.
But if the court decides not to hear the case and lifts the stay on the cull, which was put in place on Sept. 24, the CFIA would be able to carry through with its order.
That order was first made in December 2024 after two birds at the farm tested positive for avian flu, leading to the death of nearly 70 birds in the months that followed.
Owners of the farm fought the CFIA in Federal Court in an attempt to keep the ostriches from being culled and it has led to a very public battle between the two sides.
The dispute has received attention on social media from people around the world, while the CFIA and RCMP’s arrival at the farm in September sparked a significant in-person protest.
As a result, there will surely be a significant number of people waiting on bated breath for the Supreme Court’s decision next Thursday.
