Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 8, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba Read the spring/summer issue at: winnipegfreepress.com/fp-features COMING SOON! S A V O U R M A N I T O B A M A N I T O B A ’ S P R E M I E R F O O D , D R I N K A N D L I F E S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E F A L L 2 0 2 5 F r e s h h a r v e s t v e g g i e s F R O M F I E L D T O T A B L E L o c a l i n f u s i o n s F L A V O U R E D V O D K A M A K E S A C O M E B A C K I N S I D E Watch for it in your Free Press and at Manitoba Liquor Marts! FALL 2025 ISSUE DON’T MISS THE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 A8 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I CANADA / WORLD Ostrich farm wins interim stay of order to cull birds over bird flu A B.C. ostrich farm fighting to stop a cull of its 400-strong flock over an avian flu outbreak has been granted an interim stay by the Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa, delaying the execu- tion of the birds. Universal Ostrich Farms in Edge- wood, B.C., has been attempting to stop the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from destroying the birds since the cull was ordered amid an avian flu outbreak in December that would go on to kill 69 ostriches. The farm has lost in Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, but on Thursday its lawyer sought another stay on the cull order, filing a series of documents as the farm seeks a hearing in Canada’s high court. In a decision dated Saturday, the Fed- eral Court of Appeal granted an interim stay until the stay motion “is decided on the basis of a full record.” The decision says a notice to cull the birds is “hereby stayed pending the dis- position of the stay motion,” with the deadline for the CFIA to respond to that stay motion being Tuesday. “This gives us a little bit of time, not a lot,” lawyer Umar Sheikh, who rep- resents the farm, said in an interview shorty after the interim stay motion was granted. The farm, which argues the birds are now healthy, has maintained that they pose no threat and are scientifically valuable. Sheikh said that the farm applied for the interim measure at the same time it applied for the stay, explaining that it wanted to prevent the CFIA from cull- ing the ostriches before the court could rule on the stay. The lawyer had said in a letter filed in the Federal Court of Appeal that the agency was “imminently” mobilizing to enforce the cull order. Katie Pasitney, farm spokeswoman and daughter of the farm’s co-owner, said in a video posted to social media on Saturday afternoon that the granting of the interim stay allows several days of breathing room. “It’s been a very emotional few days. It is still very emotional today,” Pasit- ney said in the video, which was record- ed in front of an ostrich pen where she has posted numerous updates from the farm. The farm has claimed the flock has been healthy for more than 230 days with no new avian flu infections, and the last death recorded in mid-January. The CFIA says on its website that allowing a flock previously exposed to avian flu to remain alive means a po- tential source of the virus persists and increases the risk of reassortment or mutation of the virus. The farm’s situation has drawn atten- tion from officials in the U.S. admin- istration of President Donald Trump, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly called for the animals to be spared and stud- ied. Supporters seeking to avert a cull have also been camping out at the farm and staging musical concerts. The interim stay motion notes that the CFIA is still allowed to take prep- aratory steps to kill the birds. It says that after the CFIA files its response to the application for a stay of the cull order, the farm will have until Wednes- day to respond. — The Canadian Press ‘Queen of Canada’ compound a threat to public safety: officials R ICHMOUND — Provincial of- ficials in Saskatchewan say parts of a former school that was serving as a compound for the self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” and her followers have been de- clared unfit for human habitation, and the residents have been ordered out. The Saskatchewan Health Au- thority said in an email that occu- pancy of the building in Richmound is prohibited under Section 22 of the Public Health Act, on the basis that the premises is a multi-person resi- dence and is not connected to the municipal sewer system. The email says an order was issued for anyone who was current- ly occupying the building to vacate, although it notes the order covers the building only, and not trailers on the site. Police arrested the group’s lead- er, Romana Didulo, property owner Ricky Manz and 14 others on Wed- nesday in the village west of Regina, after obtaining a search warrant to enter the site. All of the group were later re- leased, but Didulo and Manz were rearrested on Thursday after being accused of breaching a condition to not contact one another. The health authority says anyone who violates the order faces fines of up to $75,000 on a first offence and $100 for each day the offence con- tinues. “Since the police action taken at the former school premises in Rich- mound, Sask., earlier this week, the SHA has been actively involved in assessing public health risk posed at the site, in co-operation with the Saskatchewan RCMP and municipal authorities,” the health authority email stated. “As of Friday September 5, 2025, SHA public health has gathered suf- ficient evidence regarding health concerns and compliance issues at this premises to determine there is a risk to public health safety.” The authority said the order de- claring the building, or parts of it, unfit for human habitation will re- main in place until any deficiencies have been corrected to the satisfac- tion of a public health officer. In an online video posted by the group Saturday, spokesperson Darlene Ondi, who appeared with Christopher Justin Maffenbeier, who was billed as “second prime minister of the kingdom of Canada,” said members were safe at a new lo- cation. Ondi said the group were ordered to leave on Friday afternoon without any notice, and said they complied peacefully. “It’s inhumane, it’s indecent, it’s unlawful,” she said. Didulo and Manz are also accused of trying to intimidate a justice sys- tem participant earlier this year. Manz was arrested and charged in July with assaulting two police offi- cers. RCMP have said they obtained a search warrant after receiving a report that a person inside had a firearm. Officers seized 13 imita- tion semi-automatic handguns along with ammunition and electronic de- vices. Many in Richmound have com- plained about the group being dis- ruptive. In the summer, the village office closed its doors to the public outside prearranged appointments, citing harassment and intimidation towards staff. — The Canadian Press Missing Canadian soldier found dead A Canadian Armed Forces member deployed to Latvia, who was missing since earlier this week, was found dead Friday. A news release from the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces says Warrant Officer George Hohl was deployed on Oper- ation Reassurance as part of the Avi- ation Battalion under the NATO Multi- national Brigade-Latvia. Hohl was a vehicle technician based in Edmonton and had served in the Canadian Armed Forces for almost 20 years. The department says the Canadian Forces Military Police, with the sup- port of Latvian authorities, are investi- gating the circumstances surrounding Hohl’s death. The news release did not offer infor- mation about those circumstances, but says there was no indication the inci- dent poses an increased threat to the safety and security of deployed Can- adians. Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was deeply sad to learn about Hohl’s death. In a social media post, Carney shared that last month he had the honour of spending time with the brigade that Hohl was part of. “On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my deepest condolences to Warrant Of- ficer Hohl’s family, friends, and to all those who served with him,” Carney wrote on X. — The Canadian Press Disconnected cable linking eyed in streetcar crash INSPECTORS investigating the dead- ly streetcar crash in Lisbon, Portugal, found that two cabins lost stability after the cable linking them disconnected be- fore the funicular came off its rails and killed 16 people Wednesday, including two Canadians. The Portuguese government’s office for air and rail accident investigations said in a preliminary technical report that the cabins had travelled not more than about six metres, when they sud- denly lost the balancing force provided by the cable connecting them. The office explained that the second cabin turned the other way around while the first cabin kept accelerating despite the brakeman’s efforts to stop the car. The second cabin then rolled to the left in the direction of travel, eventual- ly losing control and crashing against the wall of a building. A Quebec couple were identified as victims of the crash that also injured 21 others. André Bergeron and Blandine Daux were archeologists, who worked in Quebec’s Culture Department. Portuguese police said five of the vic- tims were from Portugal, three from the United Kingdom, two from Can- ada, two from South Korea, one from the United States, one from France, one from Switzerland and one from Ukraine. —The Canadian Press ;