Blog
Read the latest news from the fight for stronger laws and better enforcement for animals in Canada.
Recognizing the "Animal" in Animals
It is human nature to anthropomorphize animals. Movies, television, and books give animals human personalities and voices, so we are raised believing or assuming that animals think and feel like […]
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Invasive Species Act Silent on Animal Welfare
This blog post explores Ontario’s proposed “Invasive Species Act”, introduced early this year. This would be the first of its kind in Canada. However, as it stands, the Act is […]
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Animal Testing for Cosmetic Products
The use of animal testing in the cosmetics industry is neither mandatory by law, nor the only approach to the development of safe products. Although testing cosmetic products and their […]
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Rescuing Pepé, The Baby Skunk
This week on the blog, we follow the rescue story of a 4-week-old, orphaned skunk. We learn about rules surrounding keeping wildlife in captivity and the Ministry of Natural Resources […]
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Escaping into the Wild: A History of Canada’s Fur Trade
For many, when we reflect on Canada’s history and the economic value provided by the fur trade, we think of French Canadian voyageurs, The Hudson’s Bay Company and inevitably, Canada’s […]
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Criminal Code Reform: Bills C-610 & C-592
In the past few months, two private member’s bills have been introduced to the House of Commons in an effort to amend Canada’s animal cruelty laws in the Criminal Code […]
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PEI Animal Protection: When Will it Get Better?
It’s been three and a half years since the 2010 conviction of puppy mill operator Bud Wheatley exposed serious flaws in how Prince Edward Island protects animals. The case revealed […]
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Saving Sunshine, the Happiest Goat Ever
Our trip to meet Sunshine, dubbed the happiest goat ever, started with a question: how can we help Sunshine who since February, has become the target of a Canadian Food […]
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Breed-Specific Legislation: Ontario’s Pit Bull Ban
In August 2005, the Ontario government enacted the Dog Owner’s Liability Act [1] outlawing the possession, breeding, importing and transferring of pit bulls in Ontario. [2] The legislation replaced regulations that permitted pit […]
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The Return of Ontario’s Spring Bear Hunt
Black bear populations are increasing in most parts of North America and of course, humans are also continuing to expand in both population and territorial reign.1 When areas of sizeable […]
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OSPCA Act: A Better Way Forward
Animal Justice Canada has released ‘OSPCA Act: A Better Way Forward’. This comprehensive review provides commentary on and best practice recommendations for Ontario’s primary piece of animal welfare legislation – […]
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WTO Upholds European Union Ban on Seal Hunt
The WTO has upheld the European Union’s ban on seal products under the trade agreements’ “public morality” clause, agreeing that the EU’s citizens find the killing and skinning methods used […]
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Reece v. Edmonton: Legal Standing in Animal Protection
The hard fought battle to have Iringa, Toka and Thika, the African elephants based at the Toronto Zoo, delivered to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (“PAWS”) sanctuary in California had […]
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Gestation Crates and Intensive Pig Farming
Gestation crates, otherwise known as sow stalls, are heavily used in intensive pig farming to confine female breeding pigs (sows) during pregnancy. The confinement is so tight that mother pigs […]
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