Sled Dog Task Force recommends tougher penalties, and mandatory reporting
VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980)
Brett Mineer Email news tips to Brett
4/5/2011

Bigger fines and jail time are among changes to the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act recommended by a provincial task force on the sled dog industry.
Changes to the act are among 10 recommendations Premier Christy Clark says her government will act on.
The report referenced the slaughter of as many as 100 sled dogs near Whistler last year, but didn't go into any detail.
SPCA CEO Craig Daniell brushed aside criticism the report was effectively "neutered" by the ongoing criminal investigation.
"I don't think it's neutered at all. We were pleased to participate in that process because I think as an organization we really do have the most expertise in being able to really get to the heart of some of these issues. I have to say that virtually every single one of the recommendations that we came up with ultimately found its way into the sled dog report."

But that is precisely the problem according to the report's critics.
Donna Liberson speaks for the Animal Rights Coalition, a group made up of 22 animal welfare organizations who submitted to the Task Force.
"It's a conflict of interest" she says, "the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act puts the SPCA in charge of enforcement, but they're not mandated to do it."
She says the group she represents wants to see an independent investigative body that is taxpayer funded.
"What you have right now is the BC SPCA, which is a private charity, picking and choosing which animal cruelty investigations they do. It's like having the RCMP or the police investigate robberies, rapes and murders on the basis of oh well there's no money in it for us."

Premier Clark also announced a $100,000 grant to the SPCA for cruelty investigations.
Daniell says it's likely the bulk of that one-time gift will be used on the investigation into the Whistler killings.
"We are reaching the end of the innitial stage of our investigation. The next step will be exhuming the bodies but that will be some time away from us. That will only take place once the ground is thawed sufficiently for us to do so."

Among other recommendations included in the report, the Task Force asks for the creation of a mandatory set of "Standards of Care" for sled dog operators.
Right now there is no industry association in BC with any set of standards for sled dog operators.

Most rely on standards established by the Alaska based industry group Mush with P.R.I.D.E. Bob Fawcett, the man who admitted to killing the Whistler 100 was until recently, a long-standing board member and Vice President of the same group.

The government has committed to appointing a working group to establish standards within the next 14 days.

Task Force Chair and Kamloops MLA Terry Lake also recommends establishing mandatory reporting requirements for veterinarians in suspected cases of abuse or violations of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.