Agriculture
How would you like it if someone came on to your land to build a pipeline?
How would you like it if someone came on to your land to build a pipeline?
This is one of the questions you’ve no doubt heard in the media lately. A common question from protestors and their supporters. It’s been posed to media reporters asking protestors why they’re trying to shut down Canada. It’s been used as a headline for editorials in big newspapers. If you live in a city or even a small community you’ve never had to deal with a company that wants to build a pipeline on your property. That seems to make this question a good one.
However I come from a farming community and it occurred to me that I might just know some people who’ve had experience with pipeline companies. So I decided to message a friend of mine. He used to be a pretty good hockey player when we were growing up. He played with a temper. Years may have passed but I know he’s definitely no push over. Devon is not the kind of guy who’d let anyone walk all over him. Even a big pipeline company.
Turns out Devon actually has lots of experience with pipelines. When he moved onto his acreage 20 years ago there were already 5 lines running under it. 2 more lines have been buried since. The last one came through just last year. If you look at the first map you can see a place called Herschel. Herschel is Devon’s territory. The map shows where Enbridge Line 3 Replacement cut through his property just last year. The second map shows just how many lines are following that same route.
When I discovered a new line had been put down in the last year I thought he’d have some fresh memories of how that affected his life. It was my chance to ask someone who actually knows “How would you like it if someone came on your land to build a pipeline?”
Me: “What happens during construction?”
Devon: “The only inconvenience during pipeline construction for us has been delays on the roads. They haven’t affected our home lives at all.”
Me: “What about animals? How long before things get back to normal in their world?”
Devon: “Wildlife doesn’t seem bothered at all.” Then he asked me “What’s normal?” – and he sent me a video taken right in his yard last summer.
Me: “OK. The animals appear not to mind. Does it affect the quality of your land?”
Devon: “We don’t farm the affected land, but Enbridge recovers the top soil and replants whatever vegetation you want. In our case, grass.”
Me: “What would happen to you if there was a spill on your property?”
Devon: “We have never had a spill, or know of anyone that has. They have given us contact information, and instruction if we ever encounter what we feel may be a spill. Several times a week they fly (over) the pipeline inspecting it.
Me: “Are you fairly compensated?”
Devon: “We have been treated very fairly by Enbridge.”
I have to admit I was hoping for even a tiny bit of drama in this back and forth conversation. Just like you would with any conversation. So I put my reporter skills to work and decided to finish by asking an “emotional” question. Certainly there has to be even a little bit of anxiety over having a pipeline carrying flammable material close to your home… right under your own property. Everyone knows there have been accidents. So the natural question is..
Me: “Wouldn’t you rather there were no pipelines under your land and close to your home?
Devon: “I was actually disappointed when they told us the line 6 replacement was being routed around our acreage because they felt it would be too close to the house. I actually have never thought about whether I would rather live where there’s no pipelines. They’ve never been an issue.”
If I had to conclude this and I do, I would say that it would seem my friend Devon is one of the vast majority of people who pay some type of price for the conveniences of modern society. In his case it’s doesn’t seem the price is very high. Maybe he thinks the compensation is actually worth it. No. He’s never experienced an accident. He doesn’t know of anyone who even knows anyone who has. Like the rest of us, he only knows they’ve happened because he pays attention to the news. The only real difference is Devon actually has a half dozen pipelines running across his property. As you can see from the second map above, the energy running through them keeps people in the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada, warm in their homes and mobile in their vehicles.
Here’s what pipelines look like for the vast majority of those who have to live with them. In Devon’s case, 20 years of living with pipelines and zero problems. He’s not going to claim nothing could ever happen. All he can say is that nothing has ever happened.
Read more on Todayville.com
Agriculture
Canada Greenlights Mass Culling of 400 Research Ostriches Despite Full Recovery from Bird Flu Months Ago
Nicolas Hulscher, MPH
Federal court upholds CFIA’s reckless cull order—setting a dangerous precedent for the unscientific mass depopulation of genetically important animals.
In March, I interviewed Katie Pasitney of Universal Ostrich and Connie Shields to discuss the alarming implications of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) order to cull 400 research ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farm in British Columbia over bird flu:
Canada Orders Mass Culling of 400 Research Ostriches Over Bird Flu, Refuses to Test Surviving Birds for Natural Immunity
·The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has ordered the culling of 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farm in British Columbia, citing concerns over H5N1 bird flu. However, this decision is not based on sound science and could have serious consequences for both food security and medical research.
Universal Ostrich Farm is a research facility focused on studying the unique antibody-producing capabilities of ostriches. Their research has demonstrated potential in neutralizing viruses, bacteria, and even COVID-19, making it an important contribution to medical science.
In December 2024, the CFIA claimed that two deceased ostriches—which had been lying outside for over 16 hours—tested positive for H5N1 via PCR testing. Just 41 minutes after receiving these results, the CFIA signed an order to cull the entire flock.
The CFIA initially granted the farm an exemption, recognizing the birds as “genetically important.” Later, without clear justification, they reversed this decision, ordering their destruction.
Despite the importance of this research, the CFIA has refused to conduct further testing on the birds and has banned the farm from conducting its own tests, under threat of heavy fines and possible imprisonment. Why is the Canadian government refusing to study the potential antibodies ostriches have developed against H5N1 bird flu?
On January 31, 2025, a court granted a temporary stay of execution, halting the cull. However, the CFIA is appealing this decision, which means the culling could still proceed.
Today, we have received news that the reckless mass cull order will proceed despite their ostriches having already recovered months ago and developed natural immunity against H5N1:
Official Announcement: Federal Court Decision in Universal Ostrich Farms Inc. v. Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Dear friends and supporters,
We are absolutely devastated to share today’s Federal Court decision, issued on May 13, 2025. The court ruled in favour of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), upholding their order to destroy our beloved ostriches and rejecting our plea to save them.
The court’s decision accepted the CFIA’s justification under the Health of Animals Act and their use of the Stamping-Out Policy, which mandates the destruction of animals to control disease outbreaks, regardless of their health status. The court confirmed the CFIA’s approach, prioritizing trade obligations over the welfare of our animals.
In addition, we’ve been ordered to pay $15,000 in CFIA’s legal costs. You can read the full decision here: (2025 FC 878). https://saveourostriches.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/JR-T-294-25-and-T-432-25-Final.pdf
We are heartbroken by this outcome and uncertain about the future of our farm. As we navigate this incredibly difficult time, we ask for your patience and continued support. If you are able, please consider making a donation to help us manage the financial and emotional toll this has taken.
Thank you,
Universal Ostrich Farm
http://SaveOurOstriches.com
This deeply misguided decision sets a dangerous precedent for the Canadian government to recklessly depopulate animals at will.
By upholding the CFIA’s reckless cull order, despite the ostriches’ recovery and natural immunity, the court has prioritized trade protocols over scientific inquiry, animal welfare, and the advancement of life-saving medical research.
Epidemiologist and Foundation Administrator, McCullough Foundation
www.mcculloughfnd.org
Please consider following both the McCullough Foundation and my personal account on X (formerly Twitter) for further content.
This article supplied by Troy Media.
By Sylvain Charlebois
With world demand soaring, Canada’s dairy system keeps milk producers locked out of growth, and consumers stuck with high prices
Prime Minister Mark Carney is no Justin Trudeau. While the team around him may be familiar, the tone has clearly shifted. His first week in office signalled a more data-driven, technocratic approach, grounded in pragmatism rather than ideology. That’s welcome news, especially for Canada’s agri-food sector, which has long been overlooked.
Historically, the Liberal party has governed with an urban-centric lens, often sidelining agriculture. That must change. Carney’s pledge to eliminate all interprovincial trade barriers by July 1 was encouraging but whether this includes long-standing obstacles in the agri-food sector remains to be seen. Supply-managed sectors, particularly dairy, remain heavily protected by a tangle of provincially administered quotas (part of Canada’s supply management system, which controls prices and limits production through quotas and tariffs to protect domestic producers). These measures stifle innovation, limit flexibility and distort national productivity.
Consider dairy. Quebec produces nearly 40 per cent of Canada’s milk, despite accounting for just over 20 per cent of the population. This regional imbalance undermines one of supply management’s original promises: preserving dairy farms across the country. Yet protectionism hasn’t preserved diversity—it has accelerated consolidation.
In reality, the number of dairy farms continues to decline, with roughly 90 per cent now concentrated in just a few provinces. On our current path, Canada is projected to lose nearly half of its remaining dairy farms by 2030. Consolidation disproportionately benefits Quebec and Ontario at the expense of smaller producers in the Prairies and Atlantic Canada.
Carney must put dairy reform back on the table, regardless of campaign promises. The sector represents just one per cent of Canada’s GDP, yet
wields outsized influence on policy, benefiting fewer than 9,000 farms out of more than 175,000 nationwide. This is not sustainable. Many Canadian producers are eager to grow, trade and compete globally but are held back by a system designed to insulate rather than enable.
It’s also time to decouple dairy from poultry and eggs. Though also supply managed, those sectors operate with far more vertical integration and
competitiveness. Industrial milk prices in Canada are nearly double those in the United States, undermining both our domestic processors and consumer affordability. These high prices don’t just affect farmers—they directly impact Canadian consumers, who pay more for milk, cheese and other dairy products than many of their international counterparts.
The upcoming renegotiation of CUSMA—the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, which replaced NAFTA—is a chance to reset. Rather than resist change, the dairy sector should seize the opportunity to modernize. This includes exploring a more open quota system for export markets. Reforms could also involve a complete overhaul of the Canadian Dairy Commission to increase transparency around pricing. Canadians deserve to know how much milk is wasted each year—estimated at up to a billion litres—and whether a strategic reserve for powdered milk, much like our existing butter reserve, would better serve national food security.
Global milk demand is rising. According to The Dairy News, the world could face a shortage of 30 million tonnes by 2030, three times Canada’s current annual production. Yet under current policy, Canada is not positioned to contribute meaningfully to meeting that demand. The domestic focus on protecting margins and internal price fairness is blinding the sector to broader market realities.
We’ve been here before. The last time CUSMA was renegotiated, Canada offered modest concessions to foreign competitors and then overcompensated its dairy sector for hypothetical losses. This created an overcapitalized industry, inflated farmland prices and diverted attention from more pressing trade and diplomacy challenges, particularly with India and China. This time must be different: structural reform—not compensation—should be the goal.
If Carney is serious about rebooting the Canadian economy, agri-food must be part of the conversation. But that also means the agriculture sector must engage. Industry voices across the country need to call on dairy to evolve, embrace change and step into the 21st century.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Canadian professor and researcher in food distribution and policy. He is senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast. He is frequently cited in the media for his insights on food prices, agricultural trends, and the global food supply chain.
Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country.
How Chinese State-Linked Networks Replaced the Medellín Model with Global Logistics and Political Protection
New RCMP program steering opioid addicted towards treatment and recovery
Trump deploys National Guard to Los Angeles after violent attacks on ICE agents
LA Mayor Karen Bass Makes New Demands Of Trump At Monday Night Press Conference
Natural gas pipeline ownership spreads across 36 First Nations in B.C.
Letter Shows Biden Administration Privately Warned B.C. on Fentanyl Threat Years Before Patel’s Public Bombshells
