#31: Getting Justice When Your Pet Dies at the Vet
Camille and Peter explain how humans can seek justice when a companion animal is wrongfully injured or killed. The law has been slow to recognize the value of animals to their guardians, and still treats animals like property. Damage awards have typically been limited to the cost of replacing an animal, which doesn’t even begin to account for the sense of loss that people feel when they lose a beloved animal through negligence or other tragic means. Slowly, damages for mental distress at the loss of a pet are creeping into Canadian judgments, and this area is ripe for evolution.
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#15: Polar Bears, Orcas, & the Global Growth of Animal Law
Camille and Peter break down recent news affecting animals. You’ll learn about a new court case striking down restrictions on charities engaging in political activities, and why it could re-shape the landscape for animal protection organizations in Canada. Camille talks about her Global TV interview about the cruise line that gunned down a polar bear in Norway, and why so-called ecotourism isn’t always a good thing. There’s a new poll in Quebec by the Montreal SPCA showing that 72% of voters want parties to have animal welfare policies for the upcoming provincial election, and the hosts also discuss a grieving mother orca whale who has been carrying her deceased calf through the ocean for over a week.
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#14: The Meaning of Unnecessary Suffering, with Guest Host Sophie Gaillard
This week is the 40-year anniversary of the Quebec Court of Appeal’s decision in the Menard case. This case is arguably one of the most important animal law cases ever decided in Canada, and has a bigger impact on animals that any other case in the country, defining what it means for suffering to be unnecessary.
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#9: Animal Cases Are Making Headlines Right Now
Animal cruelty is notoriously under-prosecuted, but even when there is a successful conviction, the outcome isn’t always ideal. Learn about a man convicted of animal offences in Saskatchewan who packed up, moved to B.C. and just had dozens of dogs seized once again. The hosts also discuss an Alberta breeder who is awaiting trial on animal cruelty charges, yet is allowed to carry on with his breeding business in the meantime because he wasn’t subject to bail restrictions. Meanwhile, a Nova Scotia woman starved a bunny rabbit to death and a PEI man severely neglected 10 dogs (five had to be euthanized), but they each received only a short ban on animal ownership, and got to keep other animals already in their possession.
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#7: Breed-Specific Legislation Is Bad Science
Peter talks about breed-specific legislation (BSL) with Alanna Devine—our very first podcast guest! Alanna is a lawyer and director of animal advocacy at the Montreal SPCA. She has played a key role in the legal fight against Montreal’s pit bull ban, and a proposed provincial breed ban in Quebec. Tune in to learn why BSL is unscientific, ineffective, expensive, and spells a death sentence for innocent dogs.
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Law Professor and Students File Lawsuit to Stop Montreal Rodeo
Law professor Alain Roy and a group of law students from the Université de Montreal filed a lawsuit today, asking the Superior Court of Quebec to impose an injunction to stop the Nomadfest Urban Rodeo […]
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