TORONTO – Eleanor McCain, a shareholder in McCain Food Groups, Inc., has launched a legal challenge against the family’s holding company, alleging she is being prevented from selling her 8.7% stake at a fair market value. The lawsuit, filed in the Court of King’s Bench in Moncton, claims the company has implemented policies that restrict sales to non-family members, resulting in significantly lower offers from potential family buyers.

According to the CBC broadcast, McCain Food Groups had global sales of $16 billion last year. Eleanor McCain is one of 55 family members who hold shares in the company, but she is a professional singer with no involvement in the business. The lawsuit reportedly stems from a family dispute dating back to 1993, when Harrison and Wallace McCain went to court over the future leadership of the company.

The claimant is seeking a court order compelling the holding company to purchase her shares at a fair price. The McCain holding company has stated Eleanor McCain’s claim is “without merit” and that it is “committed to a fair commercial process that balances the interests of all stakeholders.” As of the broadcast, a statement of defense had not yet been filed.

Fifth Estate Investigation Reveals Discrepancies in Ostrich Culling

A separate segment of the CBC broadcast focused on a Fifth Estate investigation into the culling of 300 ostriches in British Columbia due to avian flu. The investigation revealed inconsistencies in claims made by the farm owners regarding the scientific value of the birds.

The farm owners had argued the ostriches possessed unique antibodies with potential therapeutic applications, citing testing by a Quebec lab, Immune Biosolutions. However, according to a statement provided to the Fifth Estate, Immune Biosolutions stated the antibodies “did not demonstrate the quality, purity or specificity required for therapeutic development.”

The investigation also questioned claims that Harvard University medical professor Dr. Alessio Fasano was a scientific advisor to the farm owners’ research company, Struthio Bioscience. Dr. Fasano told the Fifth Estate he had never heard of Struthio Bioscience and was not a scientific advisor, finding his inclusion on their list of advisors “disturbing.”