Change for Animals

Ontario faces a severe veterinary care shortage, with entire communities having no or inadequate access to veterinary services. While the province has taken steps to address the shortage in agricultural veterinary practice, more needs to be done to ensure access to basic companion animal care, like spay/neuter and vaccination services, are available throughout Ontario.

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society has submitted a proposal for the 2025 provincial budget, calling on the province to create a granting program that will provide humane societies, SPCAs, municipalities, and First Nations communities with funding to increase veterinary access in underserved communities and in animal shelters.

Update February 2024

The provincial government introduced updates to how veterinary care is overseen in Ontario earlier this month. While there are a lot of details, a key part of the legislation is recognizing Registered Veterinary Technician as veterinary professionals. This also starts the process of expanding the scope of care that RVT can provide to animals so that it better matches their training and experience. This is something the Ontario SPCAs and other animal welfare partners have long called for and is a big win for our advocacy efforts.

We have also started calling on the provincial government to expand its programs that support veterinary access in Northern, rural, and remote communities. These communities are often desperately short of basic veterinary services, if they have local access at all. While the province does have programs to help attract and support veterinarians in these areas, it is limited to agricultural veterinary practice. We are pushing for these programs to be expanded to companion animals and will be ramping up our advocacy efforts on this issue in the coming months.

Update December 2023

In 2023 the provincial government announced funding for new Doctor of Veterinary Medicine graduates willing to practice agricultural medicine in Northern Ontario. While the funding is limited to agricultural veterinarians, it is an important part of addressing the problem of accessing veterinary care, which the Ontario SPCA continues to raise with the government. We are also working on a proposal for the spring 2024 budget that will call for expanding this type of support to other urgent areas of veterinary care.

Update April 2023

Recently we asked you to help us address the veterinary shortage in Ontario.

Communities throughout Ontario are experiencing shortages and delays in accessing veterinary care, putting the health and well-being of animals throughout the province at risk.

The University of Guelph and Lakehead University are working to expand the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program in Ontario, which will increase the number of veterinarians practicing in the province, particularly in the North.

To support their efforts, we asked you to join us by sharing a letter with the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Colleges and Universities, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of the Treasury Board, calling for the funding of this program expansion.

We are pleased to share that the Provincial government has announced in this year’s budget their support to expand veterinary training, increasing the number of veterinarian graduates in Ontario by 20 per cent per year. In addition, they have announced an incentive program to expand the number of large animal veterinarians practicing in under-serviced communities.

This funding is a wonderful step forward to help give all animal caregivers access to veterinary medicine.

Thank you for supporting this important initiative. Together we can make positive changes for animals.

Update January 2023

The University of Guelph and Lakehead University are also working to expand the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program in Ontario, which will increase the number of veterinarians practicing in the province, particularly in the North.

You can help address the veterinary care shortage by showing your support for the DVM program expansion: sign our letter to the Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Colleges and Universities calling for funding this program expansion.

Throughout 2024, we have been working on the issue of puppy mills and pushing to ensure the passage of the PUPS Act. This important piece of legislation was passed in June, and we expect a public consultation on the regulations that will accompany it to start shortly.

These regulations will be critical in putting real protections in place, for dogs and the public, and to genuinely address the problem of puppy mills. We have told the government from the start that the regulations need to include care and health standards for dogs, along with regulations on sales, advertising, and record keeping. We have also advised that we want them to include their promised consultation on unnecessary veterinary procedures.

Unfortunately, these topics may not all come forward as part of the regulations. That is why it is going to be critical that the government hears from the public about how important broad, effective regulations are to ensuring the welfare of dogs and preventing unethical breeding.

As soon as the government launches its public consultation, I will share with you how you can have your say to push the government forward on effective PUPS Act regulations. In the meantime, I encourage you to write to the Solicitor General showing your support for effective regulations governing dog breeders. You can send your thoughts to Minister.SOLGEN@ontario.ca

Update October 2024

The Ontario Legislature returns October 21st and we want to share with you the Ontario SPCA’s government relations priorities for the coming months. From the Premier, to key Ministers and MPPs, to the Opposition parties, we are going to put animal welfare issues front and centre at Queen’s Park.  

To make sure we are as effective as possible in our work, we are focusing on a targeted list of priorities:   

• ending unnecessary Cosmetic Procedures like feline declawing, tail docking and ear cropping, and devocalization;  

• ensuring real action on puppy mills by pushing for effective regulations that support the PUPS Act that was passed in the spring;  

• overhauling the Dog Owners Liability Act, including removing the pit bull ban, putting greater emphasis on owner responsibility, and ensuring the process is clear and not protracted;  

• pushing for government financial support to ensure veterinary care access in underserved parts of the province, like the North and in First Nations communities, and at shelters.  

Over the coming months we will keep you up-to-date on how our efforts are progressing. While we have had initially positive conversations with the government on some of these issues, we may still need your help to make government action a reality. The more people we have receiving our updates, the more people we can call on to help us take action.  

You can help today by signing up for our advocacy updates. We want to be able to move quickly to ensure that the provincial government knows that people in Ontario care about animal welfare, and the more people we can call on for support, the more effective we’ll be at putting pressure on the government. 

Update June 2024

Exciting news! The Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act (PUPS Act) has passed its final vote at Queen’s Park! This new law is an important step towards protecting dogs and the public from unscrupulous breeders operating puppy mills. The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society has been pushing to make sure it passed before the summer recess.

In May, the Ontario SPCA’s Director of Government Relations had the opportunity to appear at the provincial Justice Committee to talk about the Act and the additional protections we want to see. Many of our concerns were incorporated into the final version of the Act. We will continue working with the Solicitor General’s office as they draft the detailed regulations that will accompany the new law to ensure that the remainder of our concerns are addressed.

As the Solicitor General develops these regulations, we will be pushing for detailed standards that provide concrete, enforceable requirements for animal care, sales requirements and recording keeping. We are also calling on the Solicitor General to start this process immediately, and to bring together experts from the animal welfare sector to create strong regulations that provide the best possible protection for dogs and the public.

Thank you to everyone who supported the Ontario SPCA, and the many organizations across the province advocating to make this legislation a reality!

Update March 2024

At the beginning of December, the provincial government introduced the PUPS Act to crackdown on puppy mills in the province. It was an important step towards protecting animals and people from unethical breeders who keep dogs in often terrible conditions.

Unfortunately, that progress seems to have stalled.

It has been nearly four months since the legislation was introduced and it hasn’t been debated or sent to committee. Normally it takes about 10 days for that to happen with a government bill like this one.

We need to let Premier Ford know that this legislation can’t wait. There is still enough time to see this legislation pass before the summer, but only if the government makes it a priority.

Will you help us get the PUPS Act passed? Just take 2 minutes to send a letter to the premier showing your support for quickly passing puppy mill legislation this spring.

The Ontario SPCA has been pushing the government to pass the legislation immediately and start the process of writing the detailed regulations that will give the law teeth. We’ve already sent them a detailed list of what we want to see included in the regulations because there is no time to wait. We don’t want to see this process dragged out for months or years when the need to shut down puppy mills is Ontario so important.

That’s why the government needs to hear from people like you, who support the PUPS Act and want to see it passed urgently.

Update December 2023

Two Steps Forward for Animal Welfare – The New PUPS Act
This legislation is a welcome and important step towards protecting dogs from unethical breeders and addressing the issue of puppy mills throughout our province. The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society looks forward to continuing to work with the Solicitor General to further develop the detailed regulations that will provide the greatest protection possible for both dogs and the public.
– Doug Brooks
President & CEO, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society is pleased to share two successful updates on our advocacy efforts. The government has tabled a Bill that will impact unethical breeding and selling of puppies. The Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales (PUPS) Act will make changes to the PAWS Act specifically focused on addressing puppy mills, including defining what a puppy mill is, introducing significant prohibitions and penalties, requirements for record-keeping, and restrictions on sales and transfers of dogs. The legislation creates a broad framework, and many of the specific details will be developed as regulations in the coming months.

The issue of puppy mills has been raised repeatedly by the Ontario SPCA, and other animal welfare advocates, SPCAs, and Humane Societies, with the office of the Solicitor General over the last few months. It is wonderful to see our efforts making an impact.

The government also announced today that they will begin a consultation on regulations relating to medically unnecessary procedures for dogs and cats, such as declawing, tail docking, ear cropping, and devocalization. This has been another area of focus for our advocacy efforts over the last year and we are excited to be able to go further in addressing this important animal welfare issue.

The government moving forward on legislation and regulations on many of our key priorities speaks to the collective impact that we have had ensuring these issues are on their agenda. The Ontario SPCA will continue to contribute to the regulation development process to help ensure the strongest protections for animals possible and will continue working closely with our partners at SPCAs, Humane Societies, and other organizations on this and other animal welfare issues.

The Solicitor General has announced that the government would begin consultations on regulating unnecessary cosmetic procedures on animals, such as ear cropping, tail docking, feline declawing, and devocalization. This has been a key area of focus for the Ontario SPCA’s advocacy efforts over the last year. ”

Over the summer we joined other animal welfare organizations in expressing our concerns about the potential health impacts these facilities could pose. This follows our earlier communication to the government opposing the changes they introduced in 2023. 

We have become aware that the province has enacted regulations allowing for new and transferred Train and Trial licenses. Despite our objections, and the objections of other animal welfare organizations, the province is pushing ahead with the plan for a 90-day licensing period this year. If you share our opposition to this practice, I encourage you to contact the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry at minister.mnrf@ontario.ca

Update June 2023

The expansion of the Train and Trial system was passed in the legislature. As a result the Ontario SPCA has sent the following letter to the Minister calling for meaningful regulations to at least temper a bad system:

Dear Minister Smith,

With the recent passage of Bill 91, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry will be developing new regulations to handle the temporary reopening of the Train and Trial licensing process. While the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society remains opposed to Train and Trial licenses, we also recognize that given the province’s move to allow the sale and transfer of licenses, we must also speak to the regulatory steps that could reduce the harm caused by this system.

Specifically, the existing Regulations (O. Reg. 668/98) must be amended to include:

-the filing of a veterinary care plan, signed by a veterinarian practicing within 50kms of the Train and Trial site as part of the application. This plan must include the minimum care standards for both hunting dogs and game wildlife on the site, a response plan for handling injuries or deaths, and a euthanasia protocol.

-the filing of an emergency plan, including providing for the care of wildlife in the event of natural disaster or evacuation;

-a requirement that license holders must immediately notify Animal Welfare Services of any injury or death of an animal, whether hunting dog or game wildlife, as part of Train and Trial activities.

-a change to section 33 (2) of the Train and Trial Regulations, requiring hunting licenses for anyone using these facilities;

-submitting the records prescribed in Section 43 of the Regulations as part of their annual return for publication by the Ministry.

-a provision that licenses may be revoked for failure to abide by these Regulations.

While these proposed Regulations will only temper what is a bad system, we believe the above updates to the regulations are an important and necessary change to protect both hunting dogs and wildlife under the Train and Trial process.

Update May 2023

The Ontario SPCA has sent the following letter to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry opposing the proposed expansion of the Train and Trial licensing system:

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society opposes the use of animals in activities, contests, or events that have a high probability of causing death, injury, distress, or illness as these activities do not enable the animal’s ability to achieve the Five Freedoms.

The proposed regulation, to allow for the transfer of existing train and trial licenses and a 90-day window to purchase new licenses, is highly problematic.

The Ontario SPCA has specific concerns with both the overall purpose of existing licenses and the specific animal welfare implications these regulations might allow, including:

• activities carried out in licensed facilities by their nature provided the opportunity for “canned hunts” of wildlife under the guise of a trial and train license;
• keeping wild animals in an enclosed area, for the purpose of being prey in competitions and “canned hunts” crosses a line from genuine hunting practices to a form of entertainment that results in the significant increase risks of injury or death of animals due to their confinement. This is unacceptable and should not be allowed, much less expanded;
• that a 90-day licensing window will eventually be extended or replaced with a permanent availability for new licenses.
For these reasons, the Ontario SPCA opposes the continued operation of these facilities, the ability to transfer licenses, and the issuance of new licenses by the province due to the significant animal welfare implications.

The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society was recently alerted to a proposal to allow licences to be issued for new dog “train and trial areas,” and for the transfer of licences. We recognize the dangers this proposal brings, and we acted. The statement below was sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry voicing our concerns.

You can take action, too. Click this link and share your voice for the animals.

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The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society oppose the use of animals in activities, contests, or events that have a high probability of causing death, injury, distress, or illness, as these activities do not enable the animal’s ability to achieve the Five Freedoms.

The proposed regulation, to allow for the transfer of existing train and trial licenses, and a 90-day window to purchase new licenses, is highly problematic.

The Ontario SPCA has specific concerns with both the overall purpose of existing licenses and the specific animal welfare implications these regulations might allow, including:

activities carried out in licensed facilities, by their nature, provide the opportunity for “canned hunts” of wildlife under the guise of a train and trial license;
keeping wild animals in an enclosed area, for the purpose of being prey in competitions and “canned hunts” crosses a line from genuine hunting practices to a form of entertainment. It results in a significantly increased risk of injury or death of animals due to their confinement. This is unacceptable and should not be allowed, much less expanded;

that a 90-day licensing window will eventually be extended or replaced with a permanent availability for new licenses.
For these reasons, the Ontario SPCA opposes the continued operation of these facilities, the ability to transfer licenses, and the issuance of new licenses by the province due to the significant animal welfare implications.

The Ontario SPCA has recently written to the Attorney General, reiterating our opposition to the pit bull ban in the Dog Owners Liability Act and calling for changes to the legislation. The changes we want to see include removing the pitbull ban, increasing owner responsibility regardless of breed, clarifying how decisions about potentially dangerous dogs are made, and speeding up the determination process so that dogs aren’t left sitting in shelters and pounds for months or longer while a court makes the decision.

We will be continuing this discussion with the Attorney General’s office over the coming weeks and into the Fall.

Update March 2024
Health Canada has announced the banning of strychnine as a way to control wild animals. This reverses an earlier decision, largely due to the efforts of animal welfare organizations, including the Ontario SPCA, who campaigned to ban its use due to the suffering and indiscriminate fatalities it caused. “

Update November 2024
The Ontario SPCA agrees that Bill C-355 needs to be passed. This bill prohibits the Export of Horses by Air for Slaughter Act and bans the export of live horses for slaughter. In September 2023, a Private Member’s Bill, supported by the government, to ban the practice of shipping live horses by air for slaughter was introduced and passed quickly through the House of Commons in May. It is currently stuck at second reading in the Senate.

You can learn more about Bill C-355, by visiting https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-355. To find contact information for the Senate and share your voice to get Bill C-355 moving again, visit https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/.

Update June 2024
In May 2024 legislation banning the export of live horses by air for slaughter passed the House of Commons. This comes after efforts and campaigns by many animal welfare organizations, including the Ontario SPCA, to ban the practice. The leglisation now goes to the Senate.

Update January 2023
Singer/songwriter, animal welfare advocate and Order of Canada recipient Jann Arden is calling on the Federal Government to follow through on its promise to end the export of horses for slaughter. The Liberal Party committed in the 2021 federal election to end this inhumane practice of shipping horses overseas for slaughter, but progress on the issue has been slow. You can find out more and sign the petition to end the practice here: https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-4190

The Ontario SPCA has also written directly to the federal Minister responsible for this file calling for an end to the practice.

Update June 2024
Bill-C332 has passed in the House of Commons and will now go to the Senate. If this Bill become law it make it illegal to engage in a pattern of conduct, with the intent to cause an accused’s intimate partner to believe their physical or psychological safety is threatened. Thanks to the efforts of animal welfare advocates, including the Ontario SPCA, violence and threats against animals, like pets, were added to the bill.