Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Justice finds whistle blower not in contempt

Thursday, July 28, 2011

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

An Ontario Superior Court Justice has tossed out a motion to hold egg industry whistleblower Norman Bourdeau in contempt of a court order.

Bourdeau’s lawyer, Rod Refcio, confirmed Friday that Justice Roland Haines had dismissed the motion that was brought forward by the whistleblower’s former employer, L.H. Gray and Son Limited.

Refcio noted that a decision not to award costs “can be interpreted a million different ways.” But it’s usually “a sign that the judge feels that neither party has earned entitlement to receive some compensation or legal fees.”

Refcio declined to comment further on the decision, noting he had not received instructions from his client.

L.H. Gray is suing Bourdeau, an information technology specialist, for breach of fiduciary duty, confidentiality, good faith obligations, defamation and intentional interference in economic relations. The company is claiming $15 million in damages. Bourdeau, in turn, is suing his former employer for wrongfully terminating his contract and is claiming $25 million in damages. All claims have yet to be proven in court.

Heard in a London court on Wednesday, the motion asked that Bourdeau be held in contempt of court for failing to deliver documents to L.H. Gray, Ontario’s second-largest egg marketer, before a court-imposed deadline of Mar. 4, 2011. The documents were delivered via email a week later.

Bourdeau, who has challenged the practices of Ontario’s egg industry and his former employer and asked the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission to investigate, claims in an affidavit that pneumonia prevented him from providing L.H. Gray with a list of about 170 contacts to whom he had leaked proprietary and confidential information by the early March deadline.

On Wednesday, L.H. Gray’s lawyer Allison Webster argued that Bourdeau’s failure to deliver information on time was part of a pattern of conduct. She also noted that the explanation came months after the fact in an affidavit delivered days before the contempt motion was heard, and lacked an apology to court.

Webster had estimated her firm’s costs to be nearly $11,000. Refcio estimated his costs at $2,000-$3,000.

Webster could not be reached for comment. BF

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Ontario Promotes Local Food to Boost Economy and Jobs

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Ontario is celebrating Local Food Week from June 2–8, 2025, honoring the people behind the province’s strong and self-sufficient food supply. From farmers and food processors to retailers and restauranteurs, these individuals contribute to the economy and food security. The agriculture... Read this article online

Scientists at Guelph Target Avian Threat

Thursday, June 5, 2025

The University of Guelph (U of G) is activeey engaged against the spread of avian flu. Experts from a variety of departments, including virology, engineering, veterinary medicine, and computer science, are working together to stop this growing threat. “This is not just a crisis for the... Read this article online

Trouw Nutrition launches IntelEgg

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Trouw Nutrition has announced the launch of , a digital platform designed to empower layer producers with real-time insights and data-driven decision-making tools. The image above shows an demo screen. This browser-based application is set to transform how poultry farmers monitor,... Read this article online

New Precision Ag Digital Digest Coming Soon

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

The Summer 2025 Farms.com Precision Ag Digital Digest will be released on June 11. Summer is upon us! Tillage and seeding are mostly completed (…hopefully), so we are shifting focus to irrigation, baling, spraying, guidance, and harvest (among other topics and technologies). In... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top