Tag: Active campaigns

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165,000 chickens perish in Abbotsford’s deadliest barn fire in more than 10 years

Close up photo of a crowded group of broiler chickens with missing feathers in a factory farm

VIDEO: 165,000 chickens perish in Abbotsford’s deadliest barn fire in more than 10 years – Abbotsford News

Devastating blaze on Gladwin Road on Thursday afternoon (May 21) kills tens of thousands of birds

We are deeply saddened to hear of the devastating loss of 165,000 chickens in a barn fire in Abbotsford on Thursday, reportedly the deadliest barn fire in the community in more than a decade. Our thoughts are with the thousands of sentient beings who suffered and died in this tragedy.

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This heartbreaking incident also highlights the inherent animal welfare and safety risks of the industrial farming system.

The average chicken farm in Canada confines approximately 36,000 birds in a single barn, making emergency evacuation during fires, floods, and other disasters virtually impossible. As a result, chickens are disproportionately affected in mass casualty incidents on farms across the country.

Beyond the dangers posed during emergencies, chickens raised in industrial systems experience routine stress and suffering while living in crowded, barren conditions that prevent them from expressing natural behaviours.

Tragedies like this are a stark reminder of the urgent need to move away from intensive factory farming systems. Each of us can help by reducing our consumption of animal products, choosing more plant-based meals, and advocating for stronger protections for farmed animals and a kinder, safer, and more sustainable food system.

We are grateful to the firefighters and emergency personnel who responded to this devastating incident, and to everyone who continues to speak up for farmed animals.

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New Westminster can make plant-based food part of its climate plan

  • New Westminster is asking residents and businesses to comment on its draft Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan by May 31. 
  • The draft plan looks at adaption strategies to build resilience into the city’s infrastructure against major climate impacts. Food should be part of that conversation.  
  • By adding plant-based food strategies into their draft plan, New Westminster can take a practical step toward strengthening food resilience by increasing access and affordability and reducing pressure on high-impact food systems.

TAKE ACTION: If you live or operate a business in New Westminster, please take a few minutes to comment on the City’s Draft Plan, encouraging them to consider plant-based foods as part of their strategy.

View the draft plan
Review key sections for comment
Make a quick comment

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New West can build climate resilience through plant-based food.

When people think about preparing a city for climate change, they often picture cooling centres, shaded streets, stronger buildings, flood planning, and emergency response. But resilience is also about everyday needs, including whether people can access affordable, nutritious food when climate impacts disrupt daily life.

New Westminster can help build climate-ready neighbourhoods by supporting increased access to affordable plant-based meals, shelf-stable plant-based proteins, locally sourced produce, and culturally appropriate food options.

Below are key sections of the draft plan where New West residents and businesses can ask the City to include plant-based food.

Comment on the plan
Read key sections for comment

Only have a few minutes? Here is a quick comment:

If you do not have time to comment on each section, you can adapt the comment below and email mayorandcouncillors@newwestcity.ca:

“Please include plant-based food in New Westminster’s climate adaptation and resilience planning.

Plant-based foods can be part of a stronger and more resilient food system. Foods such as legumes, grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins can be affordable, nutritious, lower-impact, and easier to store than many animal-based products.

Climate impacts can disrupt food access and increase costs, so the City should support affordable, nutritious, lower-impact options through public facilities, City-run programs, community events, emergency planning, food security initiatives, and partnerships with local businesses and community organizations.

Signed, [Your Name]”

Share your feedback before May 31.

Email the mayor now

Plant-based food policy is a practical climate solution.

Animal products use a large share of the world’s farmland and contribute more than half of food-related emissions, while providing a much smaller share of global calories and protein.

C40’s Good Food Cities work found that cities shifting public food procurement saw a 31% drop in high-emission foods, a 44% increase in plant-based foods, and a 16% drop in food-related greenhouse gas emissions from public food purchasing.

And a Vancouver Humane Society cost-benefit analysis found that replacing 20% of the City of Vancouver’s animal-based food purchasing with plant-based alternatives could save up to $99,000 and reduce emissions by more than 500 tonnes.

Plant-Based Cities Movement notes that 82% of Canadians live in cities and that most food is consumed there. That gives municipal governments a real opportunity to reduce food-related emissions through local policy. 

For New Westminster, including plant-based food in their strategies offers a practical way to strengthen climate resilience while also reducing emissions, saving public funds, and helping prevent animal suffering through everyday policy choices.

Take quick action: Share this graphic

Help more New West residents learn about this opportunity.

Share this graphic on your social media before the May 31 deadline and encourage others to comment on the draft plan.

Key sections for comment:

To comment, create an account on New West’s online platform ‘Be Heard’, review the draft plan, and add your feedback directly to the sections you care about. You can leave as many comments as you’d like throughout the draft plan.

To make your submission impactful, and to ensure that it is included, do not copy and paste the text below. Use your own words so your submission reflects your personal concerns and experience.

Comment on the plan
Send a quick comment

Action 2.2.3: Public facilities can lead by example

Public facilities are more than just buildings. They are places where people gather, learn, celebrate, receive services, exercise, and build community.

As New Westminster updates public facility policies, the City could include food service and procurement in that work. This could mean making plant-based options available at City-hosted events, meetings, recreation centres, community programs, seniors’ programs, and other public spaces.

A climate-resilient public facility should not only be energy-efficient. It should also support access to affordable, nutritious, lower-impact plant-based food options in the places residents already use.

Theme 3: Neighbourhood resilience includes food access

When a heat wave, flood, storm, or supply chain disruption occurs, food access becomes a public resilience issue.

That is why plant-based food should be considered in emergency planning, food security work, community kitchens, public programs, and local food partnerships.

New Westminster can help build climate-ready neighbourhoods by working with community partners to improve access to affordable plant-based meals, shelf-stable plant-based proteins, local produce, and culturally appropriate food options.

Theme 6: Everyday City decisions can build food resilience

The draft Climate Plan says climate risk and resilience should be integrated into day-to-day decision-making and City operations.

New Westminster could make plant-based options a normal part of City operations by:

  • Requiring plant-based options at City-hosted events and meetings
  • Adding plant-based considerations to procurement guidelines
  • Providing staff guidance for plant-forward catering
  • Supporting public education about climate-resilient food choices
  • Ensuring City-supported food programs include affordable plant-based options

City decisions about catering, events, grants, facility rentals, community programs, concessions, procurement, and public education all shape what food options are available.

Action 6.1.8: Funding local food resilience solutions

Small grants, pilot projects, public education, and partnerships could help residents access affordable, nutritious, lower-impact plant-based foods while supporting broader climate resilience goals.

For example, the City could support plant-based cooking workshops, community kitchen programs, food security partnerships, local growers, community gardens, food forests, or pilot projects in recreation centres and community centres.

These kinds of initiatives can reduce barriers and help residents see that resilient plant-based food can be familiar, affordable, culturally relevant, and enjoyable.

New West residents: Take action by May 31!

Food is key part of climate resilience. New Westminster has an opportunity to make affordable, climate-resilient, animal-friendly options more available in the places people already gather.

If you live or operate a business in New Westminster, please take a few minutes to ask the City to include plant-based food access in the plan.

Comment on the plan
Make a quick comment

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Welfare concerns renewed after fall involving horse and rider during bucking event at Cloverdale Rodeo 

Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals. Bucking event at Calgary Stampede.

  • A horse and rider are recovering after a saddle bronc bucking incident at the 2026 Cloverdale Rodeo.
  • The incident raises renewed concerns about high-risk and high-stress rodeo events that put both people and animals in danger.
  • Rodeo events like saddle bronc riding rely on animals reacting under pressure, which can cause fear, stress, and risk of injury.
  • The VHS is calling for an end to inhumane rodeo events and to the use of taxpayer dollars to support them.
Learn more about welfare concerns
Take action
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Take action: Ask decision-makers to stop using public funds to support rodeo events and to strengthen protections for animals used in entertainment. 

Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals

A horse and rider are recovering after a saddle bronc incident at this past weekend’s Cloverdale Rodeo, renewing concerns about high-risk and high-stress rodeo events that put both people and animals in danger. 

According to the Surrey Now-Leader, the incident took place on Saturday night during the 2026 Cloverdale Rodeo. Rider Nick Patterson and the horse Spring Season became tangled during a saddle bronc bucking event and went down together. Patterson was transported by ambulance for further evaluation and later released, while Spring Season is reportedly recovering. 

The reported recovery of both Spring Season and Patterson is welcome news. Still, the incident raises broader safety and animal welfare concerns.

Rodeo poses a risk to both human participants and animals, but unlike humans, the animals did not choose to be there. 

Rodeo events like saddle bronc riding rely on animals reacting under pressure, putting both human participants and animals at risk of stress and injury.  

For example, in saddle bronc riding and other bucking events, animals are confined in chutes and released into an arena for an event built around provoking or maintaining a bucking response. Equipment and practices such as flank straps and spurring add pressure to the animal’s experience.  

bull riding at a rodeo

Image: bull riding/bucking event at Chilliwack rodeo

Animal welfare is about more than whether an animal survives or avoids visible injury.

It includes their physical health, emotional state, ability to express natural behaviours, freedom from fear, pain, and distress, and ability to have some control over what happens to them. 

Incidents like this also point to the need for stronger public policy, including ending public funding for rodeo events and strengthening regulations to better protect animals. 

That is why the VHS continues to call for an end to rodeo events that cause animal suffering, stress, injury, and death.  

Communities can come together, celebrate tradition, and enjoy local events without putting animals through fear and stress for public entertainment. 

Take action now for animal welfare
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Have your say: Canada’s Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle

Cows looking at the camera, this breed Shorthorn or Durham, typical of Argentina.
  • The National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Beef Code of Practice outlines guidelines for the on-farm care and handling of cattle raised for beef in Canada.
  • The code is being updated for the first time since 2013 and a public comment period is open until June 12, 2026.
  • While there are a few improvements, the new draft code fails to address some of the most significant welfare issues within the beef cattle industry.
  • Join the VHS in calling for stronger requirements for shelter, daily monitoring, pain control, humane handling, transport decisions, and emergency planning.

TAKE ACTION: Share feedback on the draft code on the issues that are important to you; everyone can participate! 

Top welfare priorities
Tips for submitting
Submit your feedback 

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Top Welfare Priorities

We encourage you to read through the draft Beef Cattle Code of Practice and provide feedback on the issues that matter most to you, if possible.

However, we have prepared the VHS’s top welfare priorities with section headers and tips for submitting your feedback, if you are short on time and would like guidance.

Short on time? Under the heading ‘Which section of the draft Code would you now like to provide feedback on?’, select ‘General Comments on the Code’. This will allow you to bypass providing feedback on each section of the code.

IMPORTANT: Do not copy and paste wording, as duplicate responses and/or profanity or derogatory language will not be considered by NFACC. 

Section 1: Animal Environment
Section 1.2: Facilities for all cattle

Comment on Requirements:

Currently, there is no minimum shelter requirement to protect cattle from heat, cold, wind, rain, or other harsh weather.

  • The Code should set clear minimum shelter space requirements based on herd size, as well as maximum stocking densities (e.g. number of animals/acre) for cattle on pasture, feedlots, and auction markets.

The Code should require enrichment opportunities that allow cattle to express natural behaviours, including foraging, exercise, social behaviour, and grooming.

The Code should also prohibit tethering cattle as a form of housing. Tethering (tying an animal to an anchor point) should only be used temporarily when necessary for handling or procedures, and it should never be used as a regular housing practice.

Section 2: Feed and Water
Section 2.2: Water

Comment on Requirements

Cattle should have reliable access to clean water, including during heat waves and/or periods of high humidity, and water sources should be monitored regularly.

Snow should not be permitted as the sole winter water source. Snow may not reliably meet cattle’s needs, especially if conditions change or cattle are not checked frequently. A backup water system should always be required.

Comment on Recommended Practices

The following should be requirements:

  • Water sources must be easy for cattle to find and access.
  • The number of watering points and flow rate must be appropriate for the herd size.
  • Automated water systems must be checked daily to ensure they are working properly.

Section 3: Animal Health
Section 3.3.1: Disorders of the Respiratory Tract

Comment on Requirements

Recently weaned calves and newly arrived feedlot cattle should be monitored at least twice daily for two weeks to support early detection of respiratory disease.

A risk-based bovine respiratory disease prevention strategy should be a requirement as part of every herd health program, given that it is a significant health and welfare problem in the beef industry.

Section 3.3.2: Lameness

Comment on Recommended Practices

Lameness is a painful leg or hoof condition that is a common welfare issue within the beef industry. The Code should require training on causes, prevention, and treatment of lameness.

It should also require producers minimize cattle exposure to mud and standing water, and to include lameness prevention strategies in herd health programs.

Section 3.4: Safety and Emergencies

Comment on Requirements

The Code should require stronger emergency planning for fires, floods, and extreme weather.

Newly built facilities should have fire suppression and flood mitigation systems. Existing facilities should be retrofitted where possible.

Section 4: Animal Husbandry
Section 4.1: Handling and Moving Cattle

Comment on Requirements

Electric prods are used during handling and provide an electric shock to the animal. These devices cause pain, stress, and can lead to injury.

Given that electric prods can also easily be overused and that humane alternatives exist and are effective, the Code should prohibit electric prod use and require low-stress handling methods.

Section 4.3: Identification

Comment on Requirements

Branding, which is used to permanently identify cattle, should be prohibited.

Branding is painful and unnecessary, especially when alternatives such as microchipping, visual identifiers, descriptive markings, coat patterns, colour variations, and properly fitted leg bands are available.

Section 4.4: Disbudding and Dehorning

Comment on Requirements

The Code should require practices that eliminate painful horn removal (disbudding and dehorning) procedures, such as transitioning to hornless breeds of cattle.

Section 4.5: Castration

Comment on Requirements

Cattle should be castrated as young as practically possible and provided both anesthetics and pain control, in consultation with a veterinarian.

Comment on Recommended Practices

Calves must be monitored after castration to ensure they are nursing or eating and to check for signs of infection or other complications.

Section 4.5.1: Spaying

Comment on Requirements

Spaying should only be carried out by a veterinarian, and both anesthetics and pain control should be required.

Section 4.6: Weaning

Comment on Recommended Practices

Abrupt weaning of calves from their mothers should be prohibited. Low-stress, gradual weaning strategies should be required.

This includes two-stage or fence-line weaning, avoiding weaning during other major stressors such as adverse weather, commingling with animals from other groups, marketing, or transport, and avoiding painful procedures like branding, dehorning, and castration at the time of weaning.

Calves should also be acclimated to human handling and feed delivery methods they will experience after weaning.

Section 4.8: Tail Docking

Comment on Requirements

Tail docking should only be permitted when medically necessary, in consultation with a veterinarian, and with both anesthesia and pain control.

Section 5: Preparations for Transport
Section 5.1: Evaluating and Preparing Cattle for Transport 

Comment on Recommended Practices

Transport is a stressful process that can pose a significant risk to the health and welfare of cattle. Therefore, the Code should require stronger protections during transport decision-making, planning, scheduling, and loading/receiving.

  • Farm personnel should be trained and have ready access to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) guidance and veterinarian-developed protocols for assessing an animal’s fitness for transport.
  • Monitoring should increase as the transport date approaches, so health or body condition concerns can be identified early.
  • If there is uncertainty about whether an animal is fit for transport, consulting a veterinarian should be required.
Section 5.2: Planning and Scheduling Transport

Comment on Recommended Practices

Transport should be planned to minimize the time animals spend loaded in parked vehicles and to account for forecasted weather conditions. Transport must not take place during extreme weather.

Section 5.3: Loading and Receiving Cattle

Comment on Recommended Practices

The Code should require loading practices that reduce stress and injury, including adjusting loading densities, absorbent material for the weather conditions and providing ramps when the vertical distance between the loading surface and vehicle floor causes cattle to hesitate, stop moving forward, or refuse to move.

Section 6: On-Farm Euthanasia
Section 6.1: Euthanasia Decisions

Comment on Requirements:

Delayed or inappropriate decisions around humane euthanasia can lead to prolonged animal suffering.

The Code should require training to help personnel assess quality of life, prognosis, and when euthanasia is needed. A required training module should be developed to support timely, humane decision-making.

General Comments

The Code should include a clear duty of care section, similar to other Codes of Practice, which require that all personnel responsible for cattle must be required to know the Code, be properly trained, and be competent and confident in cattle care and handling.

The Code should also require cattle to be checked daily at a minimum. Daily observation is essential to identify illness, injury, lack of access to food or water, extreme weather impacts, calving difficulties, and other welfare concerns.

There should also be stronger requirements for consistent, practical tools for measuring welfare outcomes across the beef cattle industry.

Submit your feedback now!

Tips for submitting

To make your submission impactful, and to ensure that it is reviewed by NFACC, consider these tips before submitting your feedback:  

  • REMINDER: Do not copy and paste the text below, as duplicate submissions will be ignored by NFACC. Use your own words so your submission reflects your personal concerns and experience.
  • Keep responses relevant to on-farm practices.
  • Provide references and examples whenever possible. 
  • Reference exact wording in the draft code that you would like to see changed and how you would like it changed.
  • Make it personal, the committee members are interested in how this code impacts you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak up for beef cattle in Canada.
Submit your feedback now!
References

TBD

Stay Informed. Help Animals.

Learn about farmed animal welfare in Canada and what you can do to help! Sign up now to get clear explanations, action alerts, and practical steps you can take when it matters most.  Click here to learn more.

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4 years later, renewed calls to end live horse export for slaughter 

Horses packed in a crate on the arport tarmac to be shipped overseas for slaughter
Photo: Canadian Horse Defence Coalition

Photos: Canadian Horse Defence Coalition

  • December 16, 2025 marks four years since the federal Liberal government promised to ban live horse export for slaughter, yet the commitment remains unfulfilled. 
  • In that time, more than 10,700 horses have been shipped on long, stressful overseas flights, destined for slaughter despite widespread public opposition. 
  • These grueling 20+ hour journeys where horses are confined in cramped crates have led to injuries, extreme exhaustion, miscarriages, and deaths. 
  • Bill C-355, introduced in 2023 to end live horse export for slaughter, passed the House of Commons but stalled in the Senate and died with the 2025 election. 
  • With one of the most vocal Senators who previously blocked the bill now retired, Canadians are calling on the federal government to finally keep its promise and end this inhumane industry for good. 

Take action!

Online

Remind decision-makers that this issue matters to you! Use the talking points below to send a message to your Member of Parliament and the federal Minister of Agriculture. 

Talking points

In person

Attend the candlelight vigil planned in Vancouver on Tuesday, December 16th at Vancouver City Hall – 453 W 12th Ave, 6PM – 7PM.

For more information, visit the Vancouver event facebook page and see the full list of vigils across Canada.

Vancouver vigil
All vigils in Canada

 

Tell your Member of Parliament and the Minister of Agriculture to prioritize an end to live horse export for slaughter 

Step 1

Use your postal code to find your MP’s contact information and include the federal Minister of Agriculture, Honourable Heath MacDonald. 

Find my MP

Agriculture Minister, Heath MacDonald: aafc.minister-ministre.aac@agr.gc.ca  

Step 2

Use the key points below to help you draft your email. Personalized emails are more impactful, so be sure to use your own words. 

Why you’re writing: 

  • Share that you’re a constituent of the Member of Parliament; 
  • That you’re writing regarding Canada’s inhumane practice of live horse export for slaughter; 
  • That it’s the four year anniversary of the federal government’s promise to end live horse export for slaughter; 
  • That you’re urging the government to follow through on this promise and end the practice once and for all.  

Why the issue matters to you: 

Consider sharing a few of key issues below that most concern you: 

  • Horses are loaded into crowded crates and flown on lengthy and stressful journeys overseas, destined for slaughter. 
  • Horses can legally go 28 hours without food, water, or rest – though investigations show many journeys exceed this already inhumane time limit.  
  • Deaths and injuries are commonplace, with investigations uncovering extreme exhaustion, miscarriages, and even deaths during and soon after the flights. For example, 21 horses died in 13 months between May 2023-June 2024. 
  • More than 10,000 horses have been sent to their deaths since the government promised to ban live horse export for slaughter. 
  • Polling shows a strong majority of Canadians are opposed to live horse export for slaughter. 

Reiterate your request: 

  • That you’re strongly urging them, as your elected representative and the Minister responsible for implementing a ban, to prioritize an end to live horse export for slaughter. 

Ask for a reply: 

  • Thank them for their consideration of your request and ask that they respond to you at their earliest convenience, as this issue is important to you. 
Send a message to your Member of Parliament & Minister of Agriculture

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TAKE ACTION: Support the B.C. government decision to end horse racing funding & call for a safe retirement plan for horses

  • In response to the provincial government announcing the end of government funding for horse racing, Hastings Racecourse has announced they will stop horse racing effective immediately.  
  • While there is industry pushback to the B.C. government’s announcement to end funding for horse racing, the decision did not happen in isolation.
  • This change follows decades of decline in revenue and public support and heavy reliance on public funding. 
  • Hastings Racecourse was the last active race track in B.C., meaning there is no more horse racing in the province.
  • Hastings has seen multiple fatalities in recent seasons, including three known horse deaths in 2025, four in 2024, and eight in 2023. Each loss is a reminder of the inherent risks horses face in the racing industry. 
Follow up with decision-makers

While incredibly grateful for this decision, the VHS recognizes the uncertainty it may create for workers and animals within the industry. The VHS urges the provincial government and industry stakeholders to ensure a just and compassionate transition plan, including: 

  • Support for workers in the horse racing industry faced with this transition; 
  • Safe, secure retirement and rehoming plans for horses. 

Join the VHS in extending our sincere gratitude to Minister Nina Krieger for her leadership in making this decision and encourage meaningful support for workers and animals transitioning away from horse racing. Use the VHS’s quick action tool below to send a letter to the Minister and your Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). 

The VHS recently spoke with CBC on this news. Click here to watch the interview!

Send a message
Watch CBC interview
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New ‘Fear Factor’ show filmed in B.C. prompts cruelty complaints: Learn more & take action 

Update

Season one of Fear Factor: House of Fear has ended, and a new special is set to air in May. Please scroll down for current actions and stay tuned for additional news. See the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help animals.

Submit complaints
Learn more
  • A recently released Fear Factor: House of Fear episode was filmed in Metro Vancouver and involved local animal handlers.
  • The episode has raised serious animal welfare concerns and prompted the VHS to file cruelty complaints.
  • In future episodes yet to air, further incidents of stressful and inhumane treatment of animals are depicted. 
  • The first episode involved putting contestants in enclosed containers and dropping rats, pigeons, geckos, and snakes onto them from above. 
  • The chaotic conditions presented a clear risk of significant stress, suffering, and injury for the animals. 
  • Other episodes show further concerning treatment of animals, including a contestant in a closed container with snakes and a dead rat in the contestant’s mouth.
  • The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) has filed a cruelty complaint with the BC SPCA, and has written to various decision-makers, including the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC); the show’s production company, Endemol Shine North America; and the show’s Canadian broadcaster, CTV.
  • The VHS is calling on CTV to stop airing Fear Factor: House of Fear. 

TAKE ACTION: Join the VHS in filing complaints the show’s production company, Endemol Shine North America, and urge the show’s Canadian broadcaster, CTV, to stop airing Fear Factor: House of Fear.  

Submit complaints
Learn more

Submit complaints

  1. Tell CTV: animal cruelty isn’t entertainment and urge them, as the show’s Canadian broadcaster, to stop airing Fear Factor: House of Fear. 
  2. Submit a complaint to the production company, Endemol Shine North America.
  3. Please see the update below regarding episode complaints submitted to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC).
    • Update from CBSC website: “The CBSC has received a large number of complaints concerning an episode of Fear Factor on CTV. To ensure that all complaints are dealt with efficiently and in a timely manner, the CBSC limits the number of complaints it will accept in respect of the same broadcast. The CBSC process does not vary based on the number of complaints made. The same consideration is given to one single valid complaint as to multiple complaints on the same matter. The CBSC is now dealing with the episode on CTV under its normal process. As a result, no further complaints will be accepted by the CBSC on this issue.”

Depicting animals as props in entertainment sends the wrong message about animal welfare. 

Putting animals in stressful, high-risk situations is cruel and normalizes using animals for human entertainment at the expense of their welfare.

Credit: ‘Fear Factor: House of Fear.’

The practices shown contradict humane handling.

Animals are dropped into containers and onto frightened contestants and other animals, escalating panic and risk of injury. This does not model calm, careful, welfare-first handling, and it undermines the animals’ complex care needs. It’s especially troubling that local handlers would participate in, or endorse, this treatment. 

Credit: ‘Fear Factor: House of Fear.’

The principles of One Health, One Welfare recognizes that human, environmental, and animal health and well-being are interconnected. 

Fear Factor: House of Fear fails to uphold standards for: 

Welfare: Animals and contestants are placed in highly stressful conditions without knowing what will happen next.  One contestant is filmed repeatedly saying they want to leave the enclosure and is ignored, while animals cannot consent to their involvement in filming. 

Health & safety: Both humans and animals are visibly distressed. Stressed animals are more likely to bite and scratch and to shed contagious viruses and pathogens that can pose a health risk to people. Concerningly, the contestant in the container with rats is filmed stating that the the rats were urinating and defecating in the enclosure, highlighting this risk. When people are in distress and afraid, they may throw or harm animals in attempts to get away from them. 

Credit: ‘Fear Factor: House of Fear.’ Photo by Serguei Bachlakov VIA RealityBlurred.com
Submit complaints

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Support the Protecting Victims Act: Criminalize the distribution of animal sexual abuse images

close up view of unrecognizable dog and owner woman holding hand and paw.

  • Last week, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act.
  • This bill that moves to criminalize the distribution of animal sexual abuse images, while recognizing animals as victims and tools of coercive control.
  • These types images are not only acts of cruelty toward animals—they are also used to groom and exploit children and control victims.
  • This historic milestone was made possible through years of advocacy from Humane Canada (the federation of humane societies and SPCAs) and Member organizations.

TAKE ACTION: Use the quick message tool from Humane Canada to call on your MP to support the Protecting Victims Act.

Contact your MP

Take action

Violence against animals and violence against people are deeply connected, a reality that has left children, survivors, and animals without the protections they need. Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, is a crucial step forward that recognizes the violence link and takes action where it is urgently needed.

The bill criminalizes the distribution of animal sexual abuse images, material that has been used to groom, manipulate, and exploit children. It also expands protections for people whose animals are harmed or threatened as a form of coercive control, a tactic widely used in intimate partner violence and criminal harassment.

These measures close long-standing gaps in Canadian law and strengthen safety for the entire family unit.

But Bill C-16 is not yet law. For these protections to take effect, Parliament must pass the legislation. Your voice can help ensure that happens.

Contact your MP
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Union of B.C. Municipalities calls on province to regulate mobile live animal programs and strengthen exotic animal rules

  • The Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), which represents local governments across B.C., recently voted to endorse resolution NR75 – Mobile live animal programs 
  • This resolution calls on the provincial government to regulate mobile live animal programs and to strengthen exotic animal rules. 
  • Mobile live animal programs, such as travelling petting zoos, presentations and displays, or exotic animal events where animals can be purchased, are connected to animal welfare concerns and public health and safety risks. 
  • 2,450 messages were sent to UBCM delegates in support of resolution NR75. Thank you to everyone that advocated for stronger protections for animals! 

What happens next?

  • This vote signals that this issue is important to municipalities across B.C. and that provincial leadership is needed to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of animals, people, and the environment. 
  • Resolutions endorsed by the UBCM must be acknowledged and responded to by the provincial government.  
  • Help us take the next step by telling the provincial government that this issue is important to you and requires provincial leadership! 

TAKE ACTION: Add your name to the VHS’s campaign asking the provincial government to take meaningful action on this issue by implementing the UBCM’s recommendations. 

Tell the B.C. government to act!
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Exotic animals are wild animals from other countries often imported to Canada through the exotic pet trade. These animals are not domesticated, even if bred in captivity, and their welfare can suffer when sold, bred, transported, or displayed. The exotic pet trade also poses risks to the environment and public health and safety.  

Animal welfare issues

Mobile live animal programs (MLAPs) can take many forms, including travelling petting zoos, presentations, and expos where animals can be purchased. They involve the transport of animals to a location for display, public entertainment, or sale to the public, and feature a variety of different animals.

MLAPs often include exotic animals—wild animals from other countries imported to Canada—such as spiders, snakes, lizards, and tortoises.    

Animals involved in MLAPs face many animal welfare risks, including:

  • Travel to and from events
  • The public handling of animals
  • Unregulated housing and breeding practices outside of events where they may face restricted movement due to lack of space
  • Limited behavioural opportunities
  • Abnormal social groupings, such as highly social animals being housed alone
  • Exposure to unnatural environmental conditions (lighting, temperature, substrate, sounds, odours)

Environmental risks

The accidental or intentional release of exotic pets (e.g. when pets are no longer wanted but a new home cannot be found for them) can introduce invasive species to our ecosystems. Some invasive species who have impacted our local ecosystems include the red-eared slider turtle, goldfish, and American bullfrog.  

Invasive species can threaten native wildlife, compromise habitats, and spread new diseases.   

Public health & safety concerns

While the risk of disease transmission is always present when interacting with exotic animals, MLAPs increase risk due to:

  • The number of animals and variety of species
  • High amount of close human contact
  • Difficulties in following hygiene protocols (if present)

These risks are particularly prevalent at events marketed to children.

The transportation and frequent handling of animals at these events presents a significant risk factor for stress, and stressed animals may also be more likely to bite or scratch, compounding risks of disease transmission and physical harm. 

Community impacts

Escaped or released animals and the surrender of unwanted exotic pets stress already overwhelmed shelters, rescues, and veterinary services, which may not have the resources and expertise to accommodate such a wide range of exotic species.

There have been many documented instances of escaped or released exotic pets in B.C. in recent years.

Outdated regulations leave exotic animals at risk

Currently, there are no provincial regulations in place that are specific to MLAPs and there is a lack of consistent and enforceable standards for keeping, breeding, displaying, and selling exotic pets.  

B.C.’s Controlled Alien Species Regulation (CASR), introduced in 2009, has banned ownership of more than 1,000 dangerous species like tigers and venomous snakes that pose a threat to people, property, and wildlife.

However, the CASR does not address animal welfare or disease risks, making many exotic species that suffer in captivity or can spread zoonotic diseases still legal to own and trade. 

UBCM resolution NR75 – Mobile Live Animal Programs calls on the B.C. government to:

  • Regulate mobile live animal programs to address animal welfare concerns and public health and safety risks; 
  • Update the Controlled Alien Species Regulation to equally prioritize animal welfare considerations alongside public safety and prohibit the import of all exotic species.

TAKE ACTION: Add your name to the call to action to show your support for this resolution!

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News/Blog

Time for change: tell Calgary’s new Mayor and Council to end rodeo and chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede

  • Nearly every year, animals continue to be injured or killed in dangerous rodeo and chuckwagon events at the Calgary Stampede.
  • At least 110 animals have died at the Calgary Stampede since 1986, an astonishing average of one death every 3.5 days of competition.
  • The Vancouver Humane Society is urging Calgary’s newly elected Mayor and Council to remove the chuckwagon races and rodeo events from the annual Stampede program.

TAKE ACTION:

Step 1: Tell Calgary’s NEW Mayor and Council to remove these inhumane and deadly animal events from the Stampede program. 

Step 2: Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge to reflect your opposition to the use of animals in rodeo events.

Send a Message
Take the #SayNoToRodeo pledge
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Email Calgary’s Mayor and Council 

#SayNoToRodeo at the Calgary Stampede

Check out RodeoTruth.com for more information about the rodeo and chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede. This public awareness project is a collaboration between the Vancouver Humane Society and concerned Calgarians.  

To keep spreading the word about why the Calgary Stampede should buck inhumane animal events, follow RodeoTruth on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok and share the posts.

Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur, We Animals

What happened at the 2025 Calgary Stampede?

  • A horse named Rider suffered a fracture to his left-front cannon bone during a chuckwagon race and was euthanized.    
  • Video clips show the risk of injury to animals, such as a steer who was flipped over and whose neck was repeatedly twisted. Last year, a steer used in steer wrestling was euthanized due to a serious neck injury. 
  • Footage also shows people at risk of injury, including children. 
  • Animals are hit and roughly handled. In one clip, a handler uses a rope to agitate a bull’s neck while another person behind the scenes calls the bull obscene names. 
  • Animals show signs of fear and stress, including widened eyes, tense open mouths, excessive salivation, thrashing in chutes, panicked behaviours, and resisting handlers. 

Content warning: The following footage shows a fatal incident and animals showing signs of stress and fear.   

Animals pay the price for “entertainment” at the 2025 Calgary Stampede

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Stress, suffering & risk of injury or death in rodeo events

  • Calf roping: Calves are chased, roped by the neck, abruptly stopped, and thrown to the ground, which can cause neck injuries, bruising, and stress. 
  • Steer wrestling: Steers have their necks twisted and are slammed to the ground, risking serious injury. 
  • Bucking events: Bulls and horses are fitted with flank straps and spurred to provoke bucking, a reaction caused by discomfort and fear. 
  • Chuckwagon races: High-speed collisions and crashes often result in catastrophic injuries and death. 
  • In 2025, a horse was euthanized after a serious leg injury in the chuckwagon races. 
  • In 2024, four animals died: three horses during chuckwagon races and one steer whose neck was broken in a steer wrestling event. 

Despite efforts to improve safety, animal fatalities continue almost every year, demonstrating that these events are inherently dangerous. 

Tools & practices that cause distress

  • Flank straps and spurs are used to provoke animals into fleeing and bucking. 
  • Animals often show visible signs of fear and stress: wide eyes, drooling, open mouths, vocalizations, and defecation. 
  • Rodeo footage often shows rough handling — hitting, kicking, tail twisting, and ear pulling. 

The Vancouver Humane Society is urging the newly elected City of Calgary Mayor and Council to remove rodeo and chuckwagon events from the Calgary Stampede program by collaborating with Stampede organizers or implementing bylaws to prohibit harmful events. Cities like Vancouver, Port Moody, and the District of North Vancouver have already banned rodeos. 

Public opposition to rodeo is growing 

  • A 2022 Research Co. poll found removing rodeo and chuckwagon events would have little to no effect on Stampede attendance. 
  • 61% of Canadians and 49% of Albertans opposed the use of animals in rodeo (2022). 
  • By 2023, opposition grew to 67% of Canadians and 53% of Albertans. 
  • 2024 polls showed majorities of Calgarians oppose calf roping, steer wrestling, bronc riding, and chuckwagon racing. 
  • 67% of Calgarians now oppose government funding for rodeos. (2024)

The Future of the Stampede 

The Calgary Stampede has evolved over the decades to incorporate other attractions, including a large art festival; Indigenous performers and artists at the Elbow River Camp; the Midway rides and games; and live music featuring today’s top bands and local musicians. 

  • It’s time to embrace a cruelty-free future that brings people together without animal suffering. 
  • Removing these harmful events would align the Stampede with modern values of compassion and respect for animals. 

Together, We Can Make a Difference

📢 Call on Calgary’s NEW Mayor and City Council to end rodeo and chuckwagon events at the Stampede! 

Together, we can ensure the Calgary Stampede continues as an exciting celebration, without cruelty. 

TAKE ACTION