VHS is a respected voice on animal issues because we use research to ensure our views are factual and evidence-based. Below are VHS’s most recent opinion editorials published in the media.
A stressful and fear-filled glimpse into an animal’s first rodeo
Article originally published in the Daily Hive. Bring up animal welfare to a rodeo supporter, and you’ll often hear the same set of arguments: these animals are trained. They’re used to it. They’re athletes akin to other rough sports, like football or boxing. While these arguments are easily unravelled, new footage from this year’s rodeo in Merritt kicks…
Taxpayer money should NOT be funding rodeos in BC
Article originally published in the Daily Hive. What would you do if you saw someone yanking an animal’s ear, twisting their tail, shaking them by the head until they’re thrashing about in stress? Would you turn away? Speak up in protest of the cruel treatment? Call in a report? Or would you open your wallet?…
After yet another death, Vancouver should not support horse racing
Article originally published in the Daily Hive. A heartbreaking incident this weekend showed many Vancouverites that horse racing is not all fun and games. Vancouver’s Hastings Racecourse is once again the subject of controversy after a three-year-old horse named Lent Me Twenty tragically lost her life at The Cup – formerly known as the Deighton…
100 years of cruelty at the Calgary Stampede is nothing to celebrate
Article originally published in the Daily Hive. The Calgary Stampede’s 100th anniversary of chuckwagon racing is getting a lot of attention this year, with commemorations of those 100 years being splashed across the Stampede website. A book on the centennial was even published in March. The mood is downright celebratory. But here’s something no one…
New bill would silence those who shed light on animal cruelty
Article originally published in the Daily Hive. Members of Parliament may soon be voting on a federal private member’s bill that would impose hefty fines and jail time on those who expose animal cruelty and welfare issues on farms. While it’s being promoted as a measure to protect biosecurity, something far more sinister is happening…
Calves could be stuck in isolation until 2031 under new dairy industry guidelines
A version of this article was originally published in The Province. Amid an onslaught of controversies surrounding the Canadian dairy industry, including a scandalous viral video of an Ontario farmer dumping milk down the drain, new guidelines for the care of dairy cows have been quietly released. Late last week, the National Farm Animal Care…