The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario supported my request, but Alison Webster, lawyer for Gray, is trying to block the information from getting out to you readers.
Why?
She claims it would harm the reputation of her client, L.H. Gray and Son Ltd.
I think not.
I think it would simply reveal that reputation for what it is.
We already know from the reports of random-sample testing of the company's grading that it cheats customers because not all of the eggs it puts into Grade A cartons meet the standards the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's inspectors are hired and paid to enforce.
We also have seen e-mails among Bill Gray, the owner of the company, and Ted Hudson of Burnbrae Farms and Harry Pelissero of the Egg Farmers of Ontario, showing how they conspired to drive Best Choice Eggs out of the egg-grading business.We have also seen evidence that the three conspired to ship absolutely shoddy eggs to Best Choice in an effort to prevent the company from importing eggs to satisfy its customers' preferences, eggs that the Canadian market could not find.
Svante Lind has sued the three, claiming $33 million in damages. The three have been stalling and stone-walling for years, trying desperately to hide their reputations.Stay tuned. We may yet get to read the correspondence the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission has received and sent on some of these issues.
In the meantime, the reputation of these three may succeed in dragging the Ontario egg industry to its knees. Just imagine the damage that could result if some of those cracked eggs are infected with bacteria that kill a few consumers!
