CFIA overreach accelerates as neighbour's property seized, threatened with arrest

The CFIA has expanded its seizure of land to a family independent of Universal Ostrich Farms, restricting the owners from their own home and garden.

Drea Humphrey
  |   October 14, 2025   |   News Analysis   |   5 Comments

In the latest twist of the Universal Ostrich Farms vs. Canadian Food Inspection Agency standoff, Rebel News is exposing how the CFIA’s overreach has expanded beyond the farmers and their avian-flu immune ostriches, and onto the property of their neighbours.

While on site, we spoke with Alyson Turnbull, niece of ostrich farm co-owner Karen Espersen and cousin to farm spokesperson, Katie Pasitney. Turnbull explained her immediate families' shock and horror to come home to much of her mother’s land being seized for the CFIA cull mission while they were away from the home.

The property, which borders the farmers' property, was never deemed a “dangerous zone” until this past September, just before the CFIA was granted a “warrant to search” under the Health of Animals Act, section 34.

Despite not being involved in the ostrich farm operation, the family has been treated like criminals; RCMP remain stationed at their property around the clock while the Supreme Court deliberates whether the CFIA’s cull order can proceed.

When Alyson tried to get answers as to why they were being restricted and told they can’t even harvest their own garlic, an RCMP officer told her that the CFIA “has control of your property” and that they were being “gracious enough” to allow them to access to the house only.

She was later warned via text by a liaison officer to remember, that according to CFIA, Alyson could not go into her mom’s “property without first emailing them” and cautioned that the CFIA could order her arrest if she did not comply.

The overreach mirrors the same heavy-handed approach that Alyson’s aunt and cousin, Karen and Katie, faced when being arrested shortly after the CFIA descended to their properties, because the ostrich farmers insisted on humanely caring for their birds until the CFIA was lawfully able to cull them.

A list of “Judgements to be rendered on leave applications” for this week do not list the “UoF vs CFIA” case, which means the cull will likely remain paused this week.

Still, the CFIA shows no signs of backing off the land, returning care to the farmers, and spending less tax dollars in doing so to give the Supreme Court time to reserve judgement.

Help Rebel News continue its reporting on the Ostrich massacre!

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For months, our team has been on the ground at Universal Ostrich Farms, documenting every step of this tragedy — from the first ominous signs of federal overreach to the night nearly a thousand shots rang out, leaving a field of hundreds of dead ostriches and a family shattered.

Our journalists confronted the RCMP, pressed CFIA officials, launched drones to reveal the truth, and refused to be intimidated or silenced.

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Drea Humphrey

B.C. Bureau Chief

Based in British Columbia, Drea Humphrey reports on Western Canada for Rebel News. Drea’s reporting is not afraid to challenge political correctness, or ask the tough questions that mainstream media tends to avoid.

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COMMENTS

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  • Peter Wrenshall
    commented 2025-10-17 20:44:45 -0400
    Don’t you wish we had a Bill of Rights here in Canada as robust as the US has in their Constitution? If this were in the United States, the actions of the CFIA would survive a Constitutional challenge for oh, 24 hours.
  • Peter Wrenshall
    commented 2025-10-17 20:21:34 -0400
    The permission environment created by the Ottawa Liberals over the last eleven years have encouraged the naturally power-tripping CFIA to think they’re the Gestapo.
  • Flavio Cabrita
    commented 2025-10-15 03:00:00 -0400
    If the neighbours names are not found on the warrant then the cop is covering up. He seems like a real good liar. I highly recommend those people get a lawyer immediately.
  • John Landry
    commented 2025-10-14 20:29:26 -0400
    The CFIA are the Brown Shirts.
  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-10-14 19:23:08 -0400
    Welcome to Soviet Canada. Heavy-handed actions like this make me wonder if Canada has a future at all. Stupid people keep voting Liberal in the hope we’ll get socialism right this time. It NEVER works anywhere and at any time.