Amend Section 6 of Bill 50

A friend and fellow animal advocate asked me to post this issue that is facing the Toronto Humane Society. Section 6 of Bill 50 would strip this 121 year old agency of its name. Here is the presentation they made to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy at Queen's Park today:

CHAIR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to explain why we have requested the removal of section 6 from Bill 50.

We believe that if section 6 of Bill 50 were to become law and The Toronto Humane Society stripped of its name and identity, people needing shelter or hospitalization for animals might not know where to find it. We also believe that our revenue, which comes 100% from donations, would plummet because it is based on name recognition and public faith in our history of community service.

People nowadays may not realize that in 1887 The Toronto Humane Society was the first organization in Canada to call itself “humane society”. All others chose “society for the prevention of cruelty to animals”. We have never been known by any other name. (Animal Welfare and Human Values, Preece & Chamberlain, 1995, Wilfred Laurier University Press, p. 35).

Possible fraud or public confusion over policing are concerns that have led to the inclusion of section 6 in Bill 50. We don’t share these concerns. Were we to be outside the Ontario SPCA, we would not then be delivering policing or other Government programs from which confusion could arise. Inside or outside the Ontario SPCA, given our 121 year record, no one could ever suggest that our fundraising might become dishonest.

Fortunately, together we can all be assured because Minister Kwinter commissioned the management consultants Grant, Thornton in 2005 and 2006 to study the present and future of the Ontario SPCA. These studies found no issues of fraud or confusion.

Please vote to remove section 6 from Bill 50. It is superfluous to the animal protection provisions that are contained in the Bill and poses unnecessary risk to The Toronto Humane Society.

Thank you.

Tim Trow,
President

If you live in Ontario call your MPP and ask that Section 6 be amended. Help the THS get on with their work. Thanks for making me aware of this, Terry.