Death at B.C. ostrich farm deemed ‘not suspicious,’ say RCMP 

A man who died at the Universal Ostrich Farm protest camp on Monday is now in the care of the B.C. Coroner’s Service.

The unresponsive man was found just after 7 a.m. on Nov. 3, at the farm in the West Kootenay region of southeastern B.C.

Members of the police liaison team saw him on the ground and sprang into action, Nakusp RCMP said in a release.

Chest compressions and other life-saving measures were taken as paramedics rushed to the scene, but despite the best efforts of emergency services, the man passed away, police added.

Nakusp RCMP identified the man but are still in the process of finding and notifying his next of kin.

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In a press release, the RCMP stated, “there is nothing to suggest the death is suspicious.”

The man’s death comes at a difficult time for the small community of Edgewood, as they have been rocked by tension and tempers since the ostrich farm began protesting a cull order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

In September, Global News reported that residents carried mixed feelings for the farm and the attention it has brought to their little hamlet of 235 people.

Vocal demonstrations supporting the farm have clashed with RCMP officers present on behalf of the CFIA, as operators of the farm escalate their case to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The court is set to issue a decision on Nov. 6 on whether to hear a last-ditch appeal against the ordered cull.