Tag: Media – Companion animals

• New polling highlights the impact that the cost of living crisis has on companion animals and their guardians.
• Data from Gallup, Inc. and PetSmart Charities of Canada shows that half of pet guardians have not brought their pets to the veterinarian for care within the past year or have declined previous recommended care.
• Demand for the VHS’s McVitie Fund, which offers emergency veterinary support for low-income pet guardians across B.C., has grown significantly over the past five years.

Read the article below by journalist Serah Louis to learn more about how the cost of living crisis is impacting animals and those who care for them.

Soaring costs are forcing some Canadians to limit vet visits or even give up their pets

‘The magnitude of the problem in Canada alone is billions of dollars a year,’ says PetSmart Charities of Canada. Find out more

“Chantelle Archambault, communications director at the Vancouver Humane Society, said its McVitie program, which provides emergency funding for life-saving veterinary care for pets in low-income households across B.C., has ballooned from less than 200 applications in 2020 to about 1,600 in 2024.”

“‘This year, we have already processed more than 900 applications,’ Archambault said in an email, noting more people are struggling to afford veterinary care as the cost of living has gone up.”

“‘Increasingly, applicants … mention that their rent alone is nearly the same as their full monthly income,’ she added. ‘Many applicants report having only $100 to $200 per month left for food for themselves, their pet and other necessities.'”

Alberta woman calls for family law changes surrounding pets | Globalnews.ca

An Alberta woman is calling for changes to the way pets are dealt with under provincial family law, after similar changes in B.C. earlier this year.

An advocate in Alberta has launched a petition asking that the Alberta goverment follow B.C.’s lead in considering pets as more than property under family law.

The provincial government in B.C. made changes to the Family Law Act this past January. With these changes, pets are no longer treated as “property” in divorce and separation proceedings, recognizing their safety, well-being, and place as part of the family.

Animals still considered property under Canadian Law

Animals are still considered property under federal law. The Vancouver Humane Society, along with animal protection organizations and experts across the country, is calling on the federal government to recognize animals as sentient beings with a new petition.

Can you support this important initiative and help strengthen legal protections for animal well-being?

Read or watch the story on Global News: As animal shelters across the country are in crisis with an overflow of animals, animal organizations are pushing to end pet restrictions in rental housing.

“A recent parliamentary petition started by Humane Canada is asking the House of Commons to include a specific provision for tenants with pets in the new Canadian Renters’ Bill of Rights that was proposed in the 2024 federal budget.”

Read more about how pet-friendly rental housing helps animals and the humans who love them, and sign the petition from the Parliament of Canada website!

Content warning: This article describes a case of intimate partner control and various forms of abuse.

MPs vote to criminalize coercive control to protect victims of intimate partner violence | CBC News

Members of Parliament have voted unanimously to criminalize coercive control, a pattern of behaviour that can perpetuate domestic abuse.

A new bill to criminalize coercive control has passed unanimously at the House of Commons and will move onto the next stage at Senate. Thanks to the advocacy of Humane Canada, this animals are recognized in the new legislation.

Coercive control often involves abusers threatening, manipulating, or harming companion animals to exert control over their human victims. The new bill would criminalize these behaviours, including:

• Attempted and threatened violence toward an intimate partner’s animal
• Controlling or attempting to control the manner in which an intimate partner cares for their companion animal

Thank you to everyone who advocated for animals to be included in this bill!

P.S. Did you know that the VHS offers a free trauma-informed training for people working in animal services, which includes stories from survivors of coercive control involving their companion animals? This training can help animal service providers to better understand the varied experiences of animal guardians in the community and to create safer, happier outcomes for animals and humans alike.

Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, 2024

Bill 159 from Parliament 43 Session 1 of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, 2024.

A new law in Ontario has made puppy mills illegal in the province and introduced greater protections against the unethical breeding and sales of puppies. The Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales (PUPS) Act received Royal Assent in Ontario on June 6.

Advocates from Ontario including Laurie Ristmae, the founder of ARF Ontario and the executive director of the East London Animal Hospital, called this bill “a huge step in the right direction” when it was tabled in December. Ristmae noted that enforcement of the law will be key.

Other advocates like Camille Labchuk from Animal Justice are calling for the law to be strengthened, with proposed changes including requiring breeders in Ontario be registered and licensed.

Pets are no longer ‘property’ under B.C. family law | Watch News Videos Online

Watch Pets are no longer ‘property’ under B.C. family law Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca

B.C. family courts will no longer treat pets as “property” in divorce and separation proceedings, recognizing their safety, well-being, and place as part of the family.

“It breaks new legislative ground for treating companion animals as valued family members,” said V. Victoria Shroff of Shroff Animal Law.