Lawsuit: Write to BC Government

Make your complaint to the BC Government in writing (sample letter below) and send, preferably by mail, to the Ministers and MLAs listed below and to your MLA (find your MLA).

Mail a copy of your complaint to:
Animal Advocates Society of BC
Box 32, RPO Edgemont Village,
North Vancouver, BC,
Canada, V7R 4X1

animaladvocates@telus.net

Ministers and MLAs to write to:

Sample letter/email to the BC Government

To the Attorney General, the Solicitor General, the Minister of Agriculture, the Premier, and your MLA (insert name: MLA email addresses here)

I write to ask you to examine the actions of the BC SPCA regarding its threats of onerous and crushingly expensive legal actions against the Animal Advocates Society, some of its Directors and some of its posters. The SPCA has three times forced Animal Advocates Society to spend its limited funds protecting its right to be heard. The SPCA threatened in January 2001, October 2002, and then actually served a Writ in the Supreme Court of BC in August 2004. The SPCA has also threatened three AAS web servers with legal actions, forcing AAS to run from server to server at great expense. AAS has been living under the threat of the BC SPCA's power and money since February, 2001. Three of the Directors have never posted one word, two have not been Directors for years, and the posters have all written verifiable facts.

The BC SPCA is using its money and power in a clear SLAPP suit (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). I ask that you reinstate BC's anti-SLAPP legislation that your government rescinded in 2001 to protect the right to freedom of speech not only for AAS but for other small organizations and individuals who may be silenced by the fear of financial ruin.

I also ask that you examine the statutory powers under the PCA Act that the SPCA was given in 1994 by reading the debate in Hansard at www.animaladvocates.com/lawsuit/hansard.php where Liberal MLAs warned of the very abuses that are taking place.

The SPCA is a quasi public body with statutory powers but with charitable status, and your government has ruled that it is not answerable to Freedom of Information requests. That means it is answerable to no one but itself, and in fact, some complainants to the Police Complaints to the Solicitor General have been redirected to the SPCA. I ask that you rule that the BC SPCA be named a public body so that it is answerable to Freedom of Information requests as was discussed by The Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in May 2004.

I look forward to your earliest reply,

Your Name,
Address,
Phone Number

[ return to "Lawsuit" main page ]

[ back to top ]