The document started out promisingly, but I felt a bit uneasy about half way down when I read that they want to reduce funding to some shelters. If the branches can’t make it up through fund raising, what will this mean to the animals?

I have to wonder when an organization becomes more about organizing than about its original mandate, in this case: preventing suffering. First there was the Community Consultation (and I think a lot of those recommendations died on the vine). Then there was New Eyes. Now there’s this document. I can’t help contrasting this organization with many private rescue groups that have done amazing things with nothing. The small rescuers pay their rent through day jobs and spend their own time saving lives for love alone. The BCSPCA, on the other hand, was reported in 2004 to be spending 60% of its annual budget on salaries while spending 10% on vet care and 5% on spay/neuters:

Vancouver Sun, Thursday, August 19, 2004:
“ The SPCA spent approximately $2 million provincially last year on veterinary care for animals, with an additional $1 million spent on spaying and neutering.

According to SPCA executive director Craig Daniell, the organization works on a total budget of $20 million annually, most of that -- $12 million -- spent on wages.”

Now they want to pay higher salaries? An SPCA manager was quoted in the Surrey News on March 8/02 as saying, “You can rescue any (sick) animal if you throw enough money at it.” So how much money is enough to buy caring? If you throw enough money at a burned-out worker or a lackluster worker, will that give them the energy or passion to go the extra mile to – what? save more lives? Or is the main goal to put the SPCA into a better financial position? Judging from the figures above, this seems likely.

I am worried for the animals. As an animal lover, I’d like to see this organization doing less organizing and more ground-level caring. I’m sure this is what donors would want. But caring can’t be bought. So will more animals ultimately be helped by this latest round of organizing? Time will tell.