Mission, Vision, Guiding Principles and Charter

The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in BC. Through its 36 branches located around BC and its provincial office in Vancouver, the BC SPCA provides a wide range of services for more than 40,000 homeless, abused, injured and abandoned animals around the province. The BC SPCA was created under the auspices of the provincial Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and is the only animal welfare organization in BC which has the authority to enforce laws relating to animal cruelty and to prepare cases for Crown Counsel for the prosecution of individuals who inflict suffering on animals.

Mission Statement

To protect and enhance the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in British Columbia.

Vision Statement

To inspire and mobilize society to create a world in which all animals enjoy as a minimum, five essential freedoms:

Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from pain, injury, and disease
Freedom from distress
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom to express behaviours that promote well-being.
Guiding Principles

The following beliefs and principles guide our attitudes and actions:

Principled behaviour:
We are open, honest and transparent in our relationships with our staff, volunteers, members, donors and the public. We treat each other and those we serve, including the animals, with integrity, respect and compassionate caring.

Partnerships:
By forming partnerships and strategic alliances with those who share our vision, guiding principles and respect for animals, we can do more than any of us can do on our own.

Leadership:
We exercise leadership in the protection and promotion of animal welfare by demonstrating courage, compassion, wisdom and advocacy.

Learning:
We honour the need to grow and learn, using an evidence-based approach to guide improvements and constantly evaluate the impact of our work.

Responsibility:
Animal welfare is not solely the responsibility of the BC SPCA. It is also a matter of individual and community responsibility. We are committed to working with individuals and communities, through educational and other initiatives, to promote great responsibility for animal welfare.

Accountability:
We are accountable in order to deserve the trust of those we serve. We measure, track and report regularly on what we have achieved as well as on what we have not.

Charter

Whereas:
The world is inhabited by many species sharing a common ecosystem of air, earth and water. We recognize and value our interconnectedness with all animals.

Therefore:
The BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the quality of life for the animals of the world we share.

We pledge our energies to inspire and mobilize society to create a world in which all animals, and in particular those animals whose lives we can influence, enjoy as a minimum five essential freedoms:

Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from pain, injury, and disease
Freedom from distress
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom to express behaviours that promote well-being.

http://www.spca.bc.ca/about/default.asp