The definition of 'prevention' in the Oxford dictionary is: 'meet, deal with, before it is expressed'. That certainly appears to be the definition of exactly what SPCA is not willing to do, by enticing people to put crabs to death in a pot of boiling water.
By its very title, the Society for PREVENTION of cruelty to animals, has an obligation to PREVENT all forms of cruelty to all creatures in all circumstances. The BC SPCA's statement that they are not animal activists equates with a child welfare caregiver saying that their mandate is to take a child out of an abusive home, but would not allow them to prevent said child from running out onto a 4 lane freeway...and it makes as little sense.
The fact that years ago, most humans customarily kept dogs outside on chains, or dropped live crabs and lobsters into pots of boiling water because that was the 'norm' in that era, does not make it any less offensive or less painful to the creatures.
Thankfully, most members of society are finally making change in our mentallity regarding animal welfare; I wish SPCA would catch up to the rest of us.