To Michael Stevens, President and
the Board of Directors of the BC SPCA:

Along with many other animal lovers, I was pleased to hear of the SPCA's
plans to make major reforms within your organization. I welcomed your
promise to be more accountable and work towards truly improving the
welfare of animals in this province, and especially of those brought to
your shelters. However, according to what I have seen and what I've
read about the SPCA, your society still has a long way to go.

I ask that you please put on your agenda for discussion at your
September 7th meeting of the Board of Directors at the BC SPCA the
following urgent matters:

According to information I received from Animal Advocates of BC, it is
reported that your CEO Mr. Douglas Brimacombe may get a raise of salary
from his current rate of $132,000 per year. I find this to be totally
unacceptable, especially considering the outrage involved with the
previous CEO's high salary. Mr. Brimacombe's salary is already high
enough when compared to other non-profit organizations of similar size.
It is irresponsible to give employees special perks such as travel
expense accounts, cars and high salaries when your shelters currently do
not house animals adequately. Most of the cats and dogs at your
shelters are kept in cages so small that they can't move around. They
have no toys and only the barest of necessities. I have seen firsthand
the deplorable conditions at your shelters. As a non-profit
organization, your first loyalty should be to the animals your society
claim to help.

I ask that you start taking animal welfare seriously and start applying
your own "Five Freedoms" and "Animal Care Guidelines" in conjunction
with the Prevention to Cruelty to Animals Act to protect animals in
B.C., particularly when it comes to chained dogs. Please take reports
of neglect seriously and conduct investigations promptly.

Please also enforce your own guidelines regarding cosmetic mutiliation
amongst animal-breeding employees. It is a known fact that the manager
of the Salmon Arm SPCA breeds dogs and horses and engages in ear
cropping and tail docking activities. It is morally apprehensible for
employees of the SPCA to breed animals when the number of homeless
animals is growing steadily. I ask that you outlaw breeding of animals
amongst SPCA employees due to conflict of interest by adding this clause
to your constitution. It is hypocritical to be promoting spaying and
neutering of animals when your society allows its employees to breed
animals for profit. Instead, please encourage the provincial government
to enact an effective breeding law that will help to reduce the number
of unwanted and sick animals.

In addition, please start protecting animals by drafting new pet store
legislation to eliminate the abuse and neglect that goes on in these
establishments, and do all you can to close down the many puppy mills in
B.C.

The SPCA's lack of cooperation with other animal welfare societies is
truly sad. Making the world a better place for animals is a common goal
all groups share and it is a waste of valuable human and financial
resources to start quarrels with other organizations when these
resources could be used to fight the real enemy - people who hurt
animals! The SPCA's recent behavior in taking credit for the dogs
rescued from Topaz Creek shows a total lack of respect for Creston PAWS,
the group that did all the work and paid the bills to help these abused
animals. As an organization much tinier than the SPCA, Creston PAWS was
able to achieve what the SPCA could not. I ask that you encourage all
members of the Board of Directors to recommend that all donations
received by the SPCA for the rescue of the Topaz Creek dogs be
redirected to Creston Paws.

Instead of trying to discredit other animal welfare societies and
threatening those who criticize the SPCA, your organization should try
to work with these groups to achieve your common goal - to help
animals. Given the SPCA's past track record, it needs a watchdog, and I
am glad that there are societies such as Animal Advocates of BC that can
keep the public informed of the SPCA's activities.

I sincerely hope that you will bring forth these matters at your meeting
on Saturday, September 7th. I also wish you all the best in
implementing the reforms you have promised the public. The animals
deserve much better treatment than they have received from the SPCA in
the past.

Sincerely,

Betty Ing
Vancouver, BC