This is not particularly big news to Canadians on the west coast. In February 2004, a strain of avian influenza, H7N3 was found in poulty and ducks in the Fraser Valley. This area is on the major migration route and free range poultry is generally considered more at risk, because the virus in endemic in most wild geese and ducks, sharing the same farmland as the poultry industry.

The province ordered more than 17 million birds killed. It took about six months for the province's poultry to be declared free of avian flu. The outbreak was devastating to the industry here. There were also two documented cases in people, who showed mild influenza illness and eye infections who worked on the clean up at the time.