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.


Pigeon King's bankruptcy hearing stalled again

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

© AgMedia Inc.

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

Ontario’s pigeon king won’t face personal bankruptcy proceedings until the fall.

A scheduling issue has delayed the hearing, says Steven Gadbois, lawyer for Arlan Galbraith, the founder of Pigeon King International Inc, which folded last June. The Waterloo-based company sold pigeon breeding pairs for as much as $500 and bought back offspring for up to $50 each. Its collapse left nearly 1,000 breeders in Canada and the United States with thousands of worthless pigeons.

“You are kidding,” was the response of former PKI breeder Joline Humbert, Republic, Ohio, after learning today that the hearing had once again been delayed. It had initially been scheduled to take place in March, then rescheduled to take place in May.

“We’re not getting any information out of Canada, period,” Humbert says of the efforts of a group of former U.S. PKI investors’ efforts to obtain information about the progress of the investigation into PKI and Galbraith’s bankruptcy.

Paisley-area farmer Dale Leifso, another former PKI investor, says he’s upset about the delay.

“How long is it going to drag on?” he asks.

In November, James Wiersma of Fisherville, Ontario, one of four creditor-appointed inspectors in the PKI company bankruptcy, filed an application to declare Galbraith personally bankrupt with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Bankruptcy and Insolvency.

Galbraith is fighting the application and asking the court to repeal the Nov. 12, 2008 appointment of BDO Dunwoody as interim receiver. BDO is also PKI’s bankruptcy trustee.

Gadbois says BDO and its lawyer, Frank Highley, have requested the delay and describes the scheduling issue as “entirely reasonable.” No court date has yet been confirmed.

BDO remains Galbraith’s interim receiver in the meantime, he says.

BDO spokesperson Susan Taves, Highley and Wiersma could not be reached for comment. A representative from Highley’s office confirmed the delay in an email but offered no other details.

Police are continuing to investigate, says Waterloo Regional Police Service’s Staff Sgt Wally Hogg. The Waterloo police fraud squad began a preliminary investigation into the company last summer and formalized the investigation in January. It is working with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. BF

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth

Monday, June 30, 2025

Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online

Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility

Friday, June 27, 2025

Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online

Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost

Friday, June 27, 2025

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online

Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... 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