'Currently, No Kill is succeeding in those communities with individual shelter leaders who are committed to achieving it and to running shelters consistent with the programs and services which make it possible. Unfortunately, such leaders are still few and far between. Traditional sheltering, by contrast, is institutionalized. In a shelter reliant on killing, directors can come and go and the shelter keeps killing, local government keeps ignoring that failure, and the public keeps believing “there is no other way.”'

Currently, the BCSPCA is still killing animals which no no-kill agency would dream of killing. For proof, read http://www.animaladvocates.com/top-stories/56reasons.php

'We need to regulate shelters in the same way we regulate hospitals and other agencies which hold the power over life and death.'

Just as the police and RCMP must have independent investigations into their policies and actions, so must the BC SPCA. It is still secretive and unaccountable. (Read more: http://animaladvocateswatchdog.com/cgi-bin/watchdog.pl/noframes/read/1587 )

'The ideal animal law would ban the killing of dogs and cats, and would prohibit the impounding of feral cats except for purposes of spay/neuter and release.'

The SPCA is still accepting and killing feral cats. From an email:

March 20, 2009

I just phoned the Kamloops SPCA (1:20 pm) and spoke to "Sarah".

A big black tomcat has been spraying my car. He's been hanging around for over a year now. I can't get close to him as he spits and hisses at me then runs away and I'm scared of him. I asked if the SPCA would come and get him.

Sarah's responses were as follows:
-no, the SPCA doesn't come and get animals
-rent a trap from the Horse Barn
-no, the Kamloops SPCA doesn't have traps to lend out
-catch him and bring him to the branch
-if he is healthy and adoptable they will find him a home
-if he isn't they will examine "other options"
I said again..."but he is not a nice cat. So what are his options?" Sarah then said:
-after a "history period" (to establish SPCA's ownership of the cat) of 5 days he would be destroyed.
-unless I want to sign him over right away saying he is my cat in which case they can destroy him immediately without waiting. I said that's probably what I would do then and she said she "understood totally."

Because many shelters have fees which are not “low cost” despite the claim...'

Try getting your cat or dog spay or neutered at the SPCA clinic in Vancouver and you may have to produce tax returns to prove you are deserving, you may have to bring your pet in twice before the trip for surgery to have your pet vaccinated. Many poor people can't afford all this nor do they have transportation for all those trips. Could this be an example of the low-cost claims that aren't what they appear to be that Mr Winograd is speaking of?