EDGEWOOD, B.C. — The RCMP have launched a criminal investigation after a 72-year-old Edgewood resident was allegedly assaulted outside her home near Universal Ostrich Farms (UOF), where protests have been ongoing over the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) order to cull more than 300 ostriches following an Avian Flu outbreak.
According to police, Lois Wood was attacked on September 22 by a masked man carrying a red jerry can who allegedly doused her in gasoline and struck her in the face. Wood, who lives alone next to the farm, described the harrowing incident as a fight for survival, recounting how she bit and kicked her assailant to fend him off before calling for help. “I thought I was going to be lit on fire,” she told CTV News, still visibly bruised a week after the assault.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Kris Clark confirmed that the suspect, believed to be linked to the protest camp at UOF, was arrested without incident. Charges of assault and attempted arson are pending as evidence is reviewed by the B.C. Prosecution Service. Police have since stationed round-the-clock protection outside Wood’s home.
The assault comes as tensions escalate around the CFIA’s order to euthanize the farm’s flock due to the discovery of H5N1 avian influenza in December. Protesters and farm supporters have clashed with officials, and the Supreme Court of Canada is expected to decide this week whether it will hear UOF’s appeal to overturn the cull.
UOF spokesperson Katie Pasitney characterized the protest movement as peaceful and described reports of the attack as a “distortion,” accusing media outlets of sowing division ahead of the court’s decision. She emphasized the group’s focus on “truth, justice and the well-being of living creatures.”
Local MP Scott Anderson (Vernon–Lake Country–Monashee) said his office has been inundated with messages, with “99 per cent” in support of saving the ostriches. While condemning violence, he has urged federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald to halt the slaughter and explore testing alternatives.
Meanwhile, the CFIA has reiterated that its stamping-out policy for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) leaves no room for post-detection testing. The agency warned that delaying culls heightens both animal and human health risks by allowing the virus to persist and potentially mutate, especially in birds raised in open pasture.
The Edgewood assault has left residents shaken, with Wood saying many feel intimidated by the influx of protesters. “Everybody’s scared. The only reason I’m talking right now is because I have 24/7 police protection,” she said.
The RCMP investigation is ongoing as the community awaits both the Supreme Court’s ruling and the federal government’s next steps on the ostrich cull.