Avian flu detected in B.C. commercial poultry flock for first time this season

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced the first detection of avian flu in a commercial poultry flock in British Columbia this season. The agency says the infection was detected Friday in Chilliwack. It is the first case among domestic birds the agency has announced in B.C. since February. Infections have been spreading across the Prairies since mid-September. Ontario’s first detection of the season was last week, while Quebec’s first case was announced Thursday.

British Columbia has been hardest hit by waves of avian influenza since late 2021. The province accounts for more than 10 million of the 18 million birds that have died or been culled nationwide.

The agency says H5 avian flu is not a food safety concern, but the disease can spread quickly. Infections typically lead to quarantines of affected farms and the slaughter of their flocks. Human cases are rare. In 2024, a teenage girl in B.C. became infected and suffered serious illness before recovering.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2026.