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News Release

January 02, 2006

BSE, Bird Flu Forum to Be Live Online

A Jan. 9 public forum on BSE and bird flu being held at the River Run Centre in Guelph may also be viewed live via the Internet, thanks to the Canadian Farm Business Management (CFBMC) and Galbraith Communications.

The “BSE: Finding Solutions to the Madness” forum is being sponsored by the University of Guelph and the Royal Society of Canada as part of the national “Taboo Topics” public lecture series. It’s being held in the Co-operators Hall, River Run, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and will be moderated by Bob McDonald, host of the CBC Radio science program Quirks and Quarks.

The forum will include a panel of some of Canada’s leading experts on consumer and food safety, agriculture and public health. They will answer questions and engage the public in a discussion about the health, policy and other issues surrounding BSE and bird flu.

Panellists include Paul Gully, Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada; Brian Evans, Chief Veterinary Officer, Canadian Food Inspection Agency; Neil Cashman, Scientific Director, Brain Research Centre, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia; Conrad Brunk, Director, Centre for Studies in Religion and Society, University of Victoria; Eva Nagy, a professor in Guelph’s Department of Pathobiology at the Ontario Veterinary College who conducts research on avian flu; and Spencer Henson, a professor in Guelph’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Business who researches food safety and consumer issues.

CFBMC and Galbraith Communications the approached the University about making the forum available via the Internet as part of it’s online seminar series for farmers.

“We thought this was an opportunity to make this important public forum available to an even wider audience,” said Alan Wildeman, the University’s vice-president, research.

During the forum, the public will be able to ask questions about BSE and bird flu. Panelists will also discuss why BSE created the problems it did and what Canada should be doing to better deal with such crises in the future.

CFBMC is supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and is the only national organization in Canada devoted exclusively to developing and distributing advanced farm management information.