Hello folks

 Please find attached the presentation  I  made  on behalf of the CKC  yesterday to the Ontario  Legislative  Committee at public hearings.   Ontario is in the process of considering Amendments to it's SPCA Act - amendments that would provide among other things the power of entry to properties without a search warrant under particular conditions, and the assignment of the full powers of a police officer to all SPCA investigators. 

 Cathy Prothro and I  (two members of the CKC's Responsible Dog Ownership Committee) put together  the CKC presentation this week after the CKC Directors were convinced that a CKC presentation needed to be made.   Since we spoke at 4:00 we were able to listen to the afternoon's  presenters.  Ahead of us were the Burr Foundation, the Hervieux family from North Bay (who, I believe, are CKC members), a Toronto woman of Russian background with a German Shepherd dog, Diana Shore (farm background and a member of a citizen's land owning group who are lobbyists focused on this government's activities), the Burlington Humane Society and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.  The morning sessions were the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals, several private citizens, the Humane society of Canada's Chairman, Canadian Legal Accountability Watch, Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums and Sunny Reuter (again, a CKC member from whom many of us hear on a regular basis).  Many of the private presentations were tough to hear.   The Hervieux family had horses confiscated (and returned several years later with no charges ever laid against them).  The Korchounov woman is a mother of two young children who had the their family pet forcibly seized from their home with the children present (again to have it returned two days later with no charges laid) because the 13 year old dog had an eye problem that was being treated by a Vet but had a complaint laid about it by a neighbour).  You will be able to read the details in Hansard but believe me it was not an easy thing to sit and listen to these very emotional folks who certainly are not people who ever would have seen themselves presenting to a Provincial government.   

 There were only two Opposition MPP's in attendance -  PC  Garfield Dunlop and Cheri DiNovo from the NDP.   Liberal MPP David Zimmer is the committee chair.  Mr Zimmer has served on the OSPCA board and was given an award last year by the World Society for the Protection of Animals. 

 The history of this Amendment appears to be that it started as an Opposition interest but Mr Zimmer brought it forward as a Private Member's Bill.  It is now in public hearings  

 As you can see from our presentation, the proposed amendments are troublesome and will be highly problematic to Ontario citizens who run afoul of the SPCA.  Their powers are being increased - with full powers of a police officer (including warrantless search and seizure and no redress mechanism in several instances -  in very subjective situations,  they will simply  have the authority to take  your animal  and you have no  redress mechanism should these Amendments pass ).  The  SPCA is also self policing with no independent redress available.  This Amendment would also do away with all Humane Societies in the Province since they would no longer be able to call themselves Humane Societies .  

   Here is the link to Hansard http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/committee-proceedings/committee_transcripts_details.do?Date=2008-07-21&ParlCommID=8855&BillID=1979&Business=50%2C+Provincial+Animal+Welfare+Act%2C+2008&locale=en

 The hearings move to London and then to Ottawa culminating with Friday hearings in Toronto. 

 We did our best.  The CKC presented and it was a solid presentation - we are likely one of the few they will hear from  without an axe to grind with the OSPCA.  There are a lot of humane society folks in attendance in the galleries and they are hopping mad so they may have some clout at the grassroots level.  Some MPP's are likely to have been involved with the Humane Societies at some stage so that is the one area that may not stick - but again, who knows. 

 Ontario becomes less and less welcoming to dogs, their owners and to dog breeders.  Let's hope this wasn't all a charade and that  the Liberal strong majority may actually have listened to some of these folks.  The fall sitting will tell the story.

 Lee