----- Original Message -----
From: Marion Lindsay
To: premier@gov.bc.ca ; john.vandongen.mla@leg.bc.ca ; joyce.murray.mla@leg.bc.ca ; ruth.mciver@gems1.gov.bc.ca ; info@oipc.bc.ca
Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 8:37 PM
Subject: BC SPCA MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, AND ABIDE BY THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS ACT" .

To The Provincial Government,

As a concerned citizen, I ask that the provincial government demand that the B.C. SPCA abide by the "Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act".

Lorie Chortyk, SPCA spokesperson and manager of the Delta SPCA, is quoted as saying in the Province newspaper, “We have been around for 108 years. We believe that we have served the community well.” Chortyk's recent actions go against all that the SPCA stands for. Delta SPCA staff members and a volunteer were forced to "steal" a lab/rottweiler named Cheech, and take him into hiding, protecting him from the hands of the SPCA manager , who falsely labelled him "dangerous". This dog was known by staff to be gentle and non aggressive.You may read more of his story, and view a video of Cheech, here at the Animal Advocates Society of BC website link below :
http://www.animaladvocates.com/

The Council members of Delta BC voted not to allow the current Delta SPCA contract to be renewed next year.Citizens of this province are demanding accountability from the SPCA.

Another BC SPCA shelter euthanized 6 dogs in total, after a shelter dog died of a contagious disease. Five dogs were automatically euthanized that had been in the same vicinity of the dog that died. After the 5 dogs had been euthanized, their returned test results proved negative for the illness.Is that ethical practice? - no, it is not!Why did the SPCA staff not wait for the test results, and just keep the dogs in quarantine till results came back?

Neighbours have complained to the SPCA about dogs that were chained day and night, in all weather, and sometimes left with no food or water. The complaints were either ignored or the SPCA visited the home, deeming the situation acceptable. Time and time again, dogs that were reported to the SPCA have eventually been found frozen to death in the winter, or hung to death from their back yard chain.

Ever since the consolidation of the individual branches into the single centralized organization the BCSPCA seems to have done nothing but go downhill. There is no accountability, no democracy and worst of all there has been a major decrease in the animal welfare which the Society was providing. Anyone questioning how things are being done, such as the lack of financial information, or programs that are not in the interests of the animals like DTA4 and CAMP, get their memberships cancelled.

The local input and control is now non-existent. Where previously there were local Boards of Directors who had the major say in the operations there is now only the CAC, Community Advisory Committee. The CACs have zero say in the finances or the operations. The single role that the Society apparently wants them to do is fund raising, even though they have no say in how that money will be spent. In fact most, if not all, of the money raised locally goes to Head Office and they determine where and how it gets spent.

The current organization has no mechanism by which legitimate concerns of the public can be raised, and be assured that they will get an open and fair response.

The BC SPCA recently filed a lawsuit against the Animal Advocates Society of BC, (AAS). AAS is revealing the truth about the unethical practices of management at some SPCA shelters on its website. Take note that I say "some", not all shelters . Individual SPCA workers are concerned about animal welfare, such as people like Amanda, former Delta SPCA volunteer. Amanda, along with a couple of shelter employees, are now ousted by management of the Delta SPCA for "stealing" Cheech in order to save his life.

It is the management of the BC SPCA shelters that is the problem, and that is where the change needs to take place.

Sincerely,
Marion Lindsay
Squamish
B.C.