In the wake of a recent exposé (click on “Regardez l’intégrale” just below the broadcast date) involving Quebec’s largest for-profit animal control facility, Humane Society International/Canada is calling on provincial and municipal governments to ensure more humane and effective animal control services throughout Quebec.

On April 21, 2011, Radio Canada’s investigative program “Enquête” revealed a number of problematic practices, including inhumane euthanasia methods, at the Berger Blanc, a private animal control company currently contracted to deal with about half of Montreal’s homeless companion animals.

Without a strong provincial law to ensure basic standards for animal services throughout Quebec, municipalities can continue to award animal control contracts to the lowest bidder, sacrificing animal welfare for profit. HSI is urging the public to pressure their provincial and municipal representatives to ensure all animal services contracts in Quebec put animal welfare first.

Take action to help

Live in Quebec?

1. Using your personal email account, contact your municipal council [PDF] to demand that animal control contracts never be awarded to for-profit operations, and that the agreements be founded on high standards of animal welfare:

–Click here [PDF] to find out who your municipal contract is with.

-Important: Note the email addresses of your mayor as well as council members.

-Copy the matching email addresses into your own email account along with the suggested text (see below). Modify as desired, and then send it using your own email account.

a. If your municipality has a contract with Berger Blanc, click here [PDF] for the letter template.

b. If your municipality does not have a contract with Berger Blanc, but you would still like to write a letter to your municipal council requesting more effective and humane animal control services, click here [PDF] for the letter template.

2. Please sign the online petition denouncing the practices of Berger Blanc.

Live outside of Quebec?

Please voice your concern regarding Berger Blanc’s practices by emailing:

Mayor Gérald Tremblay
Ville de Montréal
maire@ville.montreal.qc.ca

and

Mr. Pierre Corbeil
Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ)
ministre.mapaq@mapaq.gouv.qc.ca

Finally, should you have any information/testimonies that you would like to share regarding the Berger Blanc situation, please contact verite_sur_bergerblanc@yahoo.ca directly.