Accredited Organizations - Humane Canada
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The organizations listed on this page have gone above and beyond to demonstrate their care for animals and their communities. By earning Humane Canada accreditation, they’ve shown a deep commitment to compassionate animal care, strong governance, and operating with integrity, transparency, and accountability.

Each organization has taken the time to meet rigorous national standards because they believe animals deserve the very best. We invite you to explore the accredited organizations below and visit their websites to learn more about the meaningful work they do every day in communities across Canada.

Are you a shelter organization who is Interested in earning your Accreditation? Visit our webpage or Contact us today to learn more.

The Five Freedoms for Animals:

The standards achieved through accreditation offer humane societies and SPCAs a mechanism to publicly demonstrate how they incorporate the Five Freedoms into their design and operations. This is a core concept in Animal Welfare that states that an animal's primary welfare needs can be met by safeguarding the following freedoms.

All animals deserve freedom:

  • From Hunger & Thirst

    Access to fresh water and a healthy diet.
  • From Discomfort

    A clean, warm shelter and resting area.
  • From Pain, Injury & Disease

    Prevention, rapid diagnosis and treatment.
  • From Fear & Distress

    Ensuring conditions and treatments to avoid mental suffering.
  • To Express Normal Behaviour

    Sufficient space, facilities and company
  • Illustrated map of Canada featuring animals

Our Quality Indicators:

The standard is also based on eight quality descriptors that, when taken as a whole, describe the values and characteristics exhibited by all high-quality Humane Societies or SPCAs.

  • Accountable
    Acknowledging and assuming responsibilities.
  • Best Practice
    Following evidence-based policies and procedures.
  • Community-Oriented
    Supporting animal welfare needs in the community.
  • Effective
    Using the best approach to achieve the desired result.
  • Humane
    Meeting the needs of animals and people.
  • Leadership
    Setting direction to do the right thing.
  • Progressive
    Evolving strategies to anticipate and meet changing needs.
  • Transparent
    Providing open disclosure of practices and outcomes.