Humane Canada statement on recent incident at Edmonton Humane Society

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Humane Canada statement on recent incident at Edmonton Humane Society

OTTAWA – June 7, 2018 – Humane Canada is saddened by the recent incident at the Edmonton Humane Society involving three cats being accidentally left in one of the organization’s transport vehicles. Edmonton Humane Society has acted swiftly to review and change their transfer policy and procedures in order to prevent this kind of gravely serious error from ever happening again.

This incident highlights a need for an independent review mechanism for organizations that both care for animals and also enforce the law, as more than 40 per cent of Humane Societies and SPCAs in Canada are responsible for enforcing both federal and provincial animal protection laws. Edmonton Humane Society not only supports this but is actively working to determine what the process would be to access such an external review free from conflict of interest.

Humane Canada does not support recent calls to download animal protection law enforcement responsibilities solely to public institutions.

“For 150 years now, SPCAs and Humane Societies have been responsible for enforcing the law in Canada. In fact, they make up a highly specialized unit in this country solely dedicated to the protection of animals. If animal cruelty enforcement were to be taken over by the policing sector or any other public institution, we would lose that singular focus on animals and their welfare. Animals deserve more than that,” says Barbara Cartwright, CEO of Humane Canada.

Humane Canada supports oversight and transparency. In partnership with Humane Societies and SPCAs across Canada we are developing national standards and a certification program for humane societies and SPCAs. Edmonton Humane Society is a leader in this area and we look forward to our continued partnership to advance animal protection in Canada.

Humane Canada is available for comment on this issue.

For media interviews or additional information, contact:
Luna Allison
Communications and Marketing Manager
Humane Canada
(The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies)
lunaa@cfhs.ca

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