Alert level: yellow
OPQ: Q-716
Session: 451
Suggested file name: Ostriches_Edgewood_further_cost_breakdown
Tabled on: January 26, 2026
Agencies: 
Estimated questions: 10
Estimated responses: 3
Original filename: Q-716 - Ostriches, Edgewood, further cost breakdown, January 26, 2026.pdf

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Extracted PDF text preview:
Q-716
Question
With regard to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's action and cull on the ostrich farm in Edgewood, British Columbia: (a)
as of December 9, 2025, what are the expenditures incurred by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency related to the farm, in
total and broken down by type of expense; (b) what is the itemized breakdown of the expenses in (a); (c) what are the
expenditures to date incurred by the Department of Justice related to any action taken related to the farm, in total and broken
down by type of expense; (d) what is the itemized breakdown of the expenses in (c); (e) what are the expenditures to date
incurred by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police related to any action or operation taken related to the farm, in total and
broken down by type of expense; (f) what is the itemized breakdown of the expenses in (e); and (g) were there any government
expenses related to the farm which were not included in the responses in (a) through (f), and, if so, what are the details,
including the amounts of each expense?
Response
This response was tabled in the House of Commons on January 26, 2026, as Sessional Paper 8555-451-716.
Order/Address of the House of Commons
Question number
Q-716
Asked by
Scott Anderson (Vernon—Lake
Country—Monashee)
Date asked
December 9, 2025
Presented by
Tabled on
January 26, 2026
Sessional Paper
8555-451-716
House of Commons

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Reply by: the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Name of Signatory: The Honourable Heath MacDonald, PC, MP
Reply
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
(a) as of December 9, 2025, what are the expenditures incurred by the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency related to the farm, in total and
broken down by type of expense?
Kevin Lamoureux
Parliamentary Secretary to the
Leader of the Government in
the House of Commons
Category  Expenditures to date (December 9, 2025)
Salary Costs (Note 1) $339,497.00
Animal Feed $13,780.00
Facilities $148,249.00
Legal Services $44,248.00
Materials and Supplies $380,396.00
Printing Services $175.00
Professional Services (Note 2) $482,734.00
Public Utilities $24,986.00
Shipping & Courier $28.00
(b) what is the itemized breakdown of the expenses in (a)?
Category  Expenditures to date (December 9, 2025)
Travel Expenses $100,067.00
Vehicles $62,355.00
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Grand Total $1,596,517.00
Category Product/Service Expenditures to date
(December 9, 2025)
Salary Costs Salary Costs $267,321.00
Salary Costs Employee Benefit Plan $72,177.00
Salary Costs Total (Note 1)Salary Costs Total $339,498.00
Animal Feed Ostrich Feed $13,780.00
Animal Feed Total Animal Feed Total $13,780.00
Facilities Facilities (Portable Washrooms, Hand Wash Stations)$148,249.00
Facilities Total Facilities Total $148,249.00
Legal Services Legal Services (not including litigation costs incurred by
the Department of Justice Canada) 
$44,248.00
Legal Services Total Legal Services Total $44,248.00
Materials and SuppliesStraw & Delivery $220,923.00
Materials and SuppliesSpecialized Equipment $33,464.00
Materials and SuppliesWater $369.00
Materials and SuppliesMaterials and Supplies $125,641.00
Category Product/Service Expenditures to date
(December 9, 2025)
Materials and Supplies Total Materials and Supplies Total $380,397.00
Printing Services Signage $175.00
Printing Services Total Printing Services Total $175.00
Professional ServicesDestruction $82,496.00
Professional ServicesDisposal $166,087.00
Professional ServicesLaundry $772.00
Professional ServicesProtection Services $19,128.00
Professional ServicesTransportation of Materials $45,000.00
Professional ServicesPrivate Veterinarian Services $2,967.00
Professional Services (Note
2)
Cyber Security $35,300.00
Professional Services (Note
2)
Office Security (at 3 Canadian Food Inspection Agency
offices)
$124,241.00
Professional ServicesBiocontainment compliance monitoring$6,743.00
Professional Services Total Professional Services Total $482,734.00
Public Utilities Heat $6,491.00
Public Utilities Operational refuse bin rental and tipping fees$18,495.00
Public Utilities Total Public Utilities Total $24,986.00
Shipping & Courier Shipping $28.00
Shipping & Courier Total Shipping & Courier Total $28.00
Travel Expenses Travel Expenses $100,067.00
Note 1: Salary costs include salary for existing Canadian Food Inspection Agency personnel deployed to this file as well as
overtime incurred by those deployed during the operation on site.
Note 2: Cyber security and office security costs were incurred as a result of threats to Canadian Food Inspection Agency
personnel across the country, at a number of Canadian Food Inspection Agency offices, via IT accounts and direct threats
to Canadian Food Inspection Agency employees. These costs are not for security on site as that was provided by the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police.
(g) were there any government expenses related to the farm which
were not included in the responses in (a) through (f), and, if so, what
are the details, including the amounts of each expense?
Not applicable.
Justice Canada
Reply by: the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada
Opportunities Agency
Name of Signatory: the Parliamentary Secretary Patricia Lattanzio
Reply
Department of Justice
(a) as of December 9, 2025, what are the expenditures incurred by the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency related to the farm, in total and
Category Product/Service Expenditures to date
(December 9, 2025)
Travel Expenses Total Travel Expenses Total $100,067.00
Vehicles Vehicle Rentals $34,710.00
Vehicles Recreational Vehicle Rental $27,645.00
Vehicles Total Vehicles Total $62,355.00
Canadian Food Inspection
Agency Grand Total
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Grand Total $1,596,517.00
broken down by type of expense; (b) what is the itemized breakdown
of the expenses in (a)?
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will respond to these parts of the inquiry.
(c) what are the expenditures to date incurred by the Department of
Justice related to any action taken related to the farm, in total and
broken down by type of expense; (d) what is the itemized breakdown
of the expenses in (c); (g) were there any government expenses related
to the farm which were not included in the responses in (a) through (f),
and, if so, what are the details, including the amounts of each
expense?
With respect to Department of Justice legal costs associated with action taken related to the ostrich farm in Edgewood
British Columbia (“the ostrich farm”), to the extent that the information that has been requested is or may be protected by
any legal privileges, including solicitor-client privilege, the federal Crown asserts those privileges. In this case, it has only
waived solicitor-client privilege, and only to the extent of revealing the total legal costs, as defined below.
The total legal costs (actual and notional costs) associated with action taken related to the ostrich farm, amount to
approximately $1.38M. The services targeted here are litigation services as well as litigation support services. Department
of Justice lawyers, notaries and paralegals are salaried public servants and therefore no legal fees are incurred for their
services. A “notional amount” can, however, be provided to account for the legal services they provide. The notional amount
is calculated by multiplying the total hours recorded in the responsive files for the relevant period by the applicable
approved internal legal services hourly rates. Actual costs represent file related legal disbursements and legal agent fees,
as the case may be. The total amount mentioned in this response is based on information contained in the Department of
Justice systems, as of December 17, 2025.
(e) what are the expenditures to date incurred by the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police related to any action or operation taken related to the
farm, in total and broken down by type of expense; (f) what is the
itemized breakdown of the expenses in (e)?
Public Saf