OSPCA wants out of horse, livestock cruelty probes

The animal welfare organization blames lack of funding for proposed mission changes

TORONTO — Ontario’s animal welfare agency plans to pull back from investigating cruelty cases involving livestock and horses as part of a restructure that insiders say may eventually see all its resources go toward shelters and rescue programs.

The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, whose officers have police powers and can lay both provincial offence and criminal animal cruelty charges, said lack of funding and years of financial losses had led to the decision.

“We’re looking for help and we’re challenging the status quo,” said OSPCA spokesperson Alison Cross. “Otherwise these challenges will never be addressed. We have to restructure.”

Sources say the OSPCA has been quietly discussing the merits of remaining in the animal cruelty investigation field altogether, citing increasing costs and the collapse of several highprofile cases, such as a probe involving Marineland, which have contributed to poor public perception of the organization.

Last week, the OSPCA called in its animal welfare officers from across the province for a meeting at its headquarters in Stouffville, Ont., north of Toronto. There, CEO Kate MacDonald laid out the organization’s plans for the future.

“During our meeting we felt it was important to begin our discussion on our new focus we’ll be undertaking over the next year,” said OSPCA deputy chief Jennifer Bluhm.

Part of the plan MacDonald discussed at the meeting was farming out animal cruelty protection of large farm animals to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

That was news to the PC government, which pays the OSPCA $5.75 million each year under an agreement to investigate cruelty cases, among other duties.