Region: Canada

The COVID-19 Animal Response Program has delivered over 75,000 kg of pet food to those most in need

Humane Society International / Canada

Brown rat
HSI/Canada

MONTREAL & TORONTO – As COVID-19 continues to directly impact peoples’ lives, Humane Society International/Canada and Friends of HSI have teamed up with over 40 community groups, charities and foundations including: the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation, PetSmart Charities of Canada, the Salvation Army, Fred Victor, Toronto Community Housing, Chiots Nordiques and the Emmanuelle Gattuso Foundation to provide emergency help to companion animals in Canada through our innovative COVID-19 Animal Response program launched in April.

The program provides critical assistance to those who are in urgent need of help caring for their animals as a result of the pandemic, both in Montreal and Toronto as well as in remote First Nations communities. Over the coming three months, support from the Canadian Red Cross and the Government of Canada will allow this program to expand in Ontario.

Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HSI/Canada, stated: “This has been a challenging and difficult year for both people and the animals who depend on them. Our Animal Response team has been working tirelessly to help people who are struggling to provide for their animals and who have nowhere else to look for help. We have witnessed firsthand, through our presence in the community and by meeting animal caregivers from all walks of life, how devasting the impacts of this crisis have been on people and their companion animals. Animals hold a special place in the lives of people, and we are so grateful to be able to help keep dogs and cats with their families throughout this pandemic.”

HSI/Canada and Friends of HSI’s COVID-19 Animal Response program is currently the only emergency program for animals operating nationally and has provided the following services to date:

  • Provisions of over 75,000 kgs of companion animal food to individuals in need (those contending with reduced mobility, quarantine or lost income) through mobile pet food banks and dozens of central distribution sites in the GTA and the Greater Montreal area. HSI/Canada is working in partnership with food banks and community service organizations such as Salvation Army, Fred Victor, Mission Bon Accueil, Toronto Community Housing and many other incredible community groups to help provide these much needed resources during the pandemic.
  • Distribution of over 16,000 kgs of pet food to impacted First Nations communities that are even more severely isolated by lockdowns and quarantine, in partnership with Chiots Nordiques.
  • Emergency sheltering of dozens of animals to assist partner shelters with increasing demands as well as hospitalized individuals.
  • Transport and fostering of animals in need of urgent veterinary services.

John Tory, mayor of the City of Toronto, said through a letter to FHSI: “Thank you, again, for your generosity and for stepping up to help in the City’s efforts to fight COVID-19. Your generosity will help ensure that our city comes back from this emergency stronger than ever.”

Members of the Toronto – GTA public impacted by COVID-19 and in need of urgent assistance in caring for their companion animals are encouraged to reach out by email at: onresponse@hsicanada.ca.

While individuals with companion animals impacted by the pandemic in the Greater Montreal area could contact: qcresponse@hsicanada.ca.

Media Contacts

Toronto: Elana Trainoff, community liaison, COVID-19 Animal Response program, Toronto: etrainoff@hsi.org or 647-285-3575.

Montréal: Ewa Demianowicz, senior campaign manager, HSI/Canada: edemianowicz@hsi.org or 514-575-3499.

Provincial and federal action is needed now to phase out cruel fur farming and protect Canadians from potentially devastating disease outbreaks

Humane Society International / Canada

Mark Hicken, Alamy Stock photo

MONTREAL—In the wake of a COVID-19 outbreak among workers and animals at a factory fur farm in BC’s Fraser Valley, Humane Society International/Canada is once again calling on provincial and federal governments to end fur farming in Canada. Of those holding an opinion, 78% of Canadians support a national ban on fur farming (Insights West, 2020). Yet in stark contrast to Canadian opinion, a 2020 CBC News analysis revealed that more than $100 million in federal and provincial funds have been allocated to the mink farming industry since 2014 alone.

Eight workers and at least five minks at the BC factory fur farm have contracted SARS-CoV-2. In other major mink producing nations, including Denmark, significant outbreaks of COVID-19—and alarming mutations of the virus, as well as transmissions to people—have been well documented in factory mink farms. These outbreaks have led to the decision to slaughter more than 15 million minks in horrific ways, along with the quarantining of hundreds of thousands of people. Clearly, the millions of minks that are intensively confined in Canadian factory fur farms are highly susceptible to contracting, mutating and transmitting SARS-CoV-2, which can result in outbreaks in human populations and undermine medical progress.

Kelly Butler, wildlife campaign manager for HSI/Canada, stated, “Factory fur farms cannot begin to meet the most basic of needs of the wild animals they imprison and kill for fashion and they create a strong opportunity for transmission and mutation of zoonotic diseases including COVID-19. It is unconscionable that our federal and provincial governments continue to allow and subsidize this cruel industry and put the health and safety of Canadians at risk simply to serve the whims of the fashion industry.”

Multiple investigations of Canadian fur farms in recent years have exposed the horrific conditions on factory fur farms. In one of these, the chief scientific officer to the BC SPCA discussed her 2014 observations at a BC fur farm, stating, “70,000 mink squirmed in cages the size of two shoe boxes as heaps of their own excrement mounted on the floor beneath them. Many were missing limbs, digits and ears, and one animal—mysteriously paralyzed—had to be euthanized on site.”

Nearly two million animals are slaughtered on fur farms in Canada annually. Fur farming has already been banned in 12 countries, and is effectively banned or being phased out in many others.

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Media Contact: Michael Bernard, HSI/Canada, deputy director: 613.371.5170; mbernard@hsi.org

Canada’s pork industry wants to extend its timeline to phase out cruel intensive confinement systems from 10 to 15 years

Humane Society International / Canada

Aumsama, iStock.com

MONTREAL—Humane Society International/Canada, a leading national advocacy group for animal welfare, is deeply concerned about the pork industry’s delay in phasing out gestation crates, which are used to confine mother pigs for nearly their entire lives. These crates, also known as sow stalls, are commonplace in Canada’s pork industry and are so small that the animals cannot even turn around.

Riana Topan, HSI/Canada’s campaign manager for farm animal welfare, says: “Pigs are intelligent, social creatures and they should be given the opportunity to move around freely, to socialize, explore and play. We urge the pork industry to quit stalling and to adhere to its original timeline of phasing out gestation crates by 2024. This kind of delay, which will compromise the welfare of hundreds of thousands of animals, is a stark reminder of why the animal agriculture sector should not be allowed to self-regulate.”

The Canadian pork industry committed to a transition away from sow stalls in 2014, after immense public pressure from Canadian consumers who are increasingly concerned about animal welfare. Over 32,000 Canadians participated in an industry driven and government sanctioned Code of Practice development process in 2013, through which stalls were scheduled to largely be replaced with group housing systems by 2024, with gestation stalls permitted for up to 35 days of pregnancy. HSI/Canada hailed the move as an historic achievement for farm animal welfare in North America at the time. Unfortunately, the pork industry is stalling and now says the transition cannot be completed until 2029.

Within Canada, the federal government only regulates animal transport and slaughter. There are few laws to ensure humane animal treatment on farms. Instead, there are industry-specific Codes of Practice, which are created by the industry-dominated National Farm Animal Care Council and enforced by the industries to which they pertain. These Codes of Practice are not legally binding.

NFACC develops and reviews these Codes regularly and the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs is currently being revised, with comments being accepted until Nov. 19, 2020. The most contentious proposed change extends the timeline to phase out gestation crates from 2024 to 2029. The original agreement was to switch to group housing systems, which are better for animal welfare, five years earlier than the proposal currently under consideration.

HSI/Canada is calling on the Canadian pork industry to follow through on the commitment it agreed to in 2014. HSI/Canada further calls on the federal government to better regulate the pork industry and to divert any existing industry subsidies towards eliminating gestation crates. We also urge food companies—including Canada’s grocery industry—to uphold their existing commitment to have crate-free supply chains by 2022.

Facts:

  • The federal government does not regulate the treatment of animals on farms. Most provinces have animal cruelty legislation, but they typically contain exemptions for “generally accepted” agricultural practices. This lack of animal welfare laws and the Code of Practice system allow the industry to self-regulate, perpetuating cruel practices.
  • The NFACC Codes of Practice are developed largely by the industry they pertain to and are not enforced with third-party oversight.
  • Pigs routinely suffer in the pork industry: they often live in bare physical and social environments and are forced to undergo mutilative practices like tail docking, teeth clipping and castration without adequate pain relief. Piglets can be “euthanized” using blunt force trauma, where their heads are hit against a flat, hard surface or they are hit with “a sharp, firm blow with a heavy blunt instrument to the top of the head over the brain.”
  • A national poll conducted by Environics Research Group in 2013 revealed that an overwhelming 84% of Canadians support a phase out of the use of gestation crates for breeding sows.

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Media contact: Riana Topan, HSI/Canada, campaign manager: 613-315-0775, rtopan@hsi.org.

Humane Society International / Canada

Wildlife killing contests legally take place in British Columbia every year. During these contests, animals are senselessly killed to accumulate points towards winning cash and/or prizes.

Humane Society International / Canada

Wildlife experts have stated that killing wolves will not save caribou; caribou are struggling as a result of habitat loss due to industrial development.

Fifty of the traumatized dogs to receive specialized care at shelter near Montreal

Humane Society International / Canada

Ewa Demianowicz, HSI HSI/Canada and Friends of HSI have welcomed dogs saved from a dog meat farm in South Korea (farm 17). A total of 50 dogs will be cared for by the team.

MONTREAL, QC—A total of 196 dogs have been rescued by Humane Society International from South Korean dog meat farms and slaughter facilities. Over the past  weeks, the HSI Animal Rescue Team quarantined in solitary confinement at a government-approved facility in Seoul before being allowed to head to a dog meat farm in Haemi to rescue 170 dogs, including golden retrievers, a poodle, Korean jindos and mastiffs, Pomeranians, terriers and a Labrador. These dogs, and an additional 26 dogs rescued from previous dog meat farms and slaughter operations, have been transported directly to the United States.

Fifty of the dogs are coming to the HSI/Canada and Friends of HSI emergency shelter located just outside of Montreal, where they will receive the love, veterinary care and rehabilitation therapy they need prior to be placed in forever homes.

Ewa Demianowicz, Senior Campaign Manager for HSI/Canada, said: “We are so pleased to welcome these 50 survivors of the South Korean dog meat trade into our emergency shelter. At last these dogs can receive the specialized care they need to recover from the horrific trauma they have endured. Our expert team will work with these dogs around the clock to make sure each and every one of them gets a second chance and a forever home.”

Nara Kim, HSI/Korea’s dog meat campaign manager, stated at the scene of the dog meat farm rescue: “Every dog meat farm I’ve visited has a horrible stench of feces and rotting food, but there was something different about this dog farm, it had a smell of death. The conditions were truly pitiful, and when we found these dogs they had looks of utter despair on their faces that will haunt us forever. Many of them are covered in painful sores and wounds from neglect, some have inflamed eyes and peer out blindly from their cage. I feel almost grateful they can no longer see this horrible place they live in, and when they finally receive veterinary care and can open their eyes, they will never have to endure this hopelessness again.”

This marks the 17th dog meat farm that HSI has permanently closed down, and coincides with the publication of a new opinion poll showing growing support in South Korea for a ban on dog meat consumption. The poll, conducted by Nielsen and commission by Humane Society International/Korea, shows that 84% of the population say they don’t or won’t eat dog, and almost 60% support a legislative ban on the trade.

Key poll findings:

  • 84% of South Koreans haven’t consumed dog meat or say they are not willing to consume it in the future.
  • 59% of South Koreans support banning dog meat, an increase of 23.9% from 2017, with opposition to a ban at an all-time low (fewer than half (41.4%) of the population.
  • 57% of South Koreans believe dog meat consumption reflects poorly on Korea, increasing from 37% in 2017.

Facts:

  • Dog meat is most popular in South Korea during the Bok days of summer in July and August.
  • Recent crackdowns by authorities to curb the dog meat industry include the shutting down of Taepyeong dog slaughterhouse (the country’s largest) by Seongnam City Council in November 2018, followed in July 2019 by the closure of Gupo dog meat market in Busan (South Korea’s second largest dog meat market after Moran market, which has also closed), and a declaration in October last year by the mayor of Seoul that the city is “dog slaughter free.” In November 2019 a court found that a dog farmer who electrocuted dogs was in violation of the Animal Protection Act, a judgement that could have huge implications for an industry that relies almost entirely on electrocution as a killing method.
  • At each dog meat farm closure, HSI has a veterinarian test for the presence of the H3N2 virus (“canine influenza”), at the time the dogs receive their rabies, DHPP and coronavirus vaccines. HSI then quarantines the dogs on the farm or at a shelter for at least 30 days, and the dogs are health certified again prior to transport overseas.

For photos: click here, and then select “create account” at the top of the page; fill out your information, and an administrator will approve you right away. If you encounter any difficulties, do not hesitate to reach out to the media contact below.

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Media Contact: Ewa Demianowicz: 514-575-3499; edemianowicz@hsi.org.

Nielsen online research conducted August/September 2020. Total sample size 1,000 people across six major cities in South Korea (Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan) weighted and representative of South Korean adults (aged 18+).

Humane Society International / Canada

Canada must stop participating in the cruel elephant ivory trade.

COVID-19 Animal Response Program helps Toronto’s most vulnerable communities and individuals care for animals during this crisis

Humane Society International / Canada

Woman with dog
HSI/Canada

TORONTO–Humane Society International/Canada (HSI/Canada) and Friends of HSI (FHSI) are partnering with Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) to support residents with companion animals in the GTA’s most underserved communities, which have been particularily hard hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

HSI/Canada and Friends of HSI launched the COVID-19 Animal Response Program in April 2020 to provide critical support to individuals, groups and communities in the Canadian epicenters of this crisis. Through a large network of community organizations, HSI/Canada has provided more than 40,000 kg of pet food,supplies and animal care support that have helped thousands of animals since this pandemic began. The program will now work with TCHC to ensure that pet owners impacted by the pandemic, living in some 2,000 buildings across the GTA, receive the support they need to keep their animals healthy and at home.

Larysa Struk, Ontario Coordinator, COVID-19 Animal Response Program for HSI/Canada said: “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, our animal response team has been working tirelessly to help people who are struggling to provide for their animals and who have nowhere else to look for help. By partnering with TCHC, we are able to reach many more individuals that have urgent needs when it comes to their companion animals. Our program is helping to keep dogs and cats with their families throughout this pandemic.”

“During the COVID-19 emergency, our frontline staff have focused on delivering essential services and working alongside our many partners to connect tenants to needed supports arising from the pandemic. Humane Society International Canada’s generous donation of pet food and supplies will go a long way to supporting tenants during this challenging time,” said TCHC Chief Operating Officer Sheila Penny.

If you or someone you know needs assistance caring for a pet because of the impacts of COVID-19, please contact the program team at:  onresponse@hsicanada.ca or 647-215-5082

HSI/Canada and Friends of HSI are grateful for the generous support of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation, which has made this program possible, and PetSmart Charities® of Canada, for allowing us to continue to increase our impact and reach across the GTA during this challenging time for individuals and their animals.

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Media contacts:

HSI/Canada’s Forward Food program will support Sodexo’s foodservice operations in introducing delicious and sustainable menu items

Humane Society International / Canada

Chat Photography/HSI Vegan macaroni and cheese

MONTRÉAL—Sodexo Canada and Humane Society International/Canada are excited to announce a new national partnership that will elevate plant-based menu options in Sodexo’s accounts across the country. As part of the partnership, HSI/Canada’s Forward Food program will train Sodexo chefs on plant-based cooking techniques and work with Sodexo leadership to develop new, custom plant-based recipes. Select Sodexo accounts will transition at least 20% of their current menu items to be plant-based with support from HSI/Canada’s Forward Food program, which has already worked with numerous institutions and businesses in Canada to enhance their plant-based offerings.

“Understanding the impacts of our services on the environment, communities we serve, wellness we provide and people we employ is on the forefront for Sodexo Canada’s sustainable living initiatives. Together with Humane Society International we have refreshed our strategy to bring our teams the tools they need through training and engagement, data analysis and responsible sourcing strategies to achieve our commitment to reducing emissions and providing increased healthy and delicious plant based menu offerings,” says Davide Del Brocco, sustainability manager at Sodexo Canada.

Riana Topan, campaign manager for HSI/Canada says, “We are thrilled to be partnering with Sodexo to support their sustainability and plant-based menu goals. Sodexo has set ambitious targets to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and serving more plant-based meals is critical to achieving those targets and to improving animal welfare. We look forward to supporting Sodexo’s higher education, corporate, energy and resource accounts across Canada to ensure that their customers always have access to sustainable and satisfying plant-based food options.”

“The Sodexo Innovation Challenge incorporates the creativity of our chefs and the resources of our Corporate Responsibility team directly into the menu development process. This synergy with HSI/Canada’s Forward Food program enables us to achieve our mutual goals of creating menus that speak to the needs of Canadians and drive sustainable business practices,” says Kyle Mason, Sodexo Canada’s senior manager of culinary development.

In November, Sodexo and HSI/Canada’s Forward Food program will host the country’s first virtual, national plant-based culinary training session for 12 of Sodexo’s higher education accounts. The training session will give Sodexo chefs from across Canada the opportunity to learn a variety of plant-based recipes, experiment with new ingredients and cooking techniques, and explore ways to integrate more options into Sodexo’s menus. Following the training, each Sodexo account will significantly increase its offering of plant-based items that are better for animals, the environment and human health, as part of the HSI/Canada’s Forward Food Pledge.

The partnership is officially launching this month, with Sodexo Canada’s participation in HSI/Canada’s annual Forward Food Leadership Summit. Del Brocco will speak about Sodexo’s corporate social responsibility initiatives and commitment to serving more sustainable plant-based dishes. The summit will bring together food service professionals from the higher education, retail, restaurant, manufacturing and other sectors, and will discuss how to use plant-based foods to create healthier, more sustainable menus in the wake of COVID-19.

Sodexo and Humane Society International intend to co-host additional events in 2021. HSI and Sodexo are also working together on similar initiatives in other countries around the world, including in Southeast Asia, that will improve sustainability, public health and animal welfare.

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Media contacts: 

Humane Society International/Canada urges companies to improve welfare of chickens raised for meat

Humane Society International / Canada

studiodr/iStock.com 

OTTAWA—The largest study ever conducted on the welfare of chickens raised for meat confirms that fast-growing breeds, which make up the majority of chickens raised for commercial meat production, suffer immensely. Around the world, a staggering 60 billion broiler chickens are bred for meat each year.

The University of Guelph, Canada, study included 7,500 chickens from 16 different strains and took two years to complete. While previous studies have also indicated that chickens raised for meat are prone to health and welfare problems, this new research demonstrates that, despite recent breeding objectives, selection for rapid growth and breast-meat yield continues to leave conventional chicken strains with significant welfare issues such as reduced mobility, foot pad lesions, muscle damage and disproportionate heart and lung development. Slower growing chickens tested in the same research trial had consistently better health and behavioural outcomes.

Most commercial chicken meat production around the world currently utilizes rapidly growing breeds, selectively bred over generations to grow unusually fast. These chickens grow from hatch to slaughter weight in just six weeks, the vast majority intensively reared in overcrowded sheds on factory farms devoid of environmental enrichment or natural sunlight.

As stated in the research summary report: “While this high productivity means affordable, consistent product, it has come at a cost to broiler welfare.”

Riana Topan, HSI/Canada’s campaign manager for farm animal welfare, says: “More than 750 million chickens were raised and slaughtered for meat in Canada last year. This study confirms what we already suspected: that the fast growth and tremendous weight these animals have been bred to reach results in very poor welfare, and a life of pain. Responsible food companies across the country must work quickly to move away from these rapid-growth birds and implement reforms – outlined in the Better Chicken Commitment – to reduce the needless suffering of millions of animals. Retailers, restaurants and consumers must also make more responsible purchasing choices, including reducing and replacing chicken altogether with plant-based proteins and meat-free chicken alternatives.”

The University of Guelph worked independently but accepted input and advice from chicken breeding companies, who provided the animals for the study and advised on their needs. However, even when tested under the carefully controlled environmental conditions specified by the breeders, the welfare of the fastest growing commercial strains was poor. Rapidly growing broiler chickens reared without carefully controlled ventilation, nutrition or temperature controls may suffer even further.

Based on the study’s results, Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.), a leading farm animal welfare certification and labeling program, will revise its standard on the welfare of chickens to account for this important new science, and Humane Society International urges other welfare assurance schemes to  do the same. As hundreds of large food and hospitality companies have pledged to address animal welfare as part of their corporate social responsibility commitments, G.A.P. certification is a good path toward meeting those promises. The updated broiler chicken requirements in the G.A.P. program will help ensure companies are meeting science-based welfare standards.

The newly released summary report disseminates the initial results, with further analysis expected by the end of the year and more in 2021. The data is expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals, making a key contribution to the scientific literature.

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Media contact: Riana Topan, campaign manager, HSI/Canada: 613-315-0775, rtopan@hsi.org.