BC Enacts Toughest Animal Cruelty Penalties in Canada

What has been described as “the toughest animal cruelty laws in all of Canada” by provincial Minister of Agriculture Don McRae are now law in British Columbia.

Amendments to the province’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act came about as a result of recommendations made by the Sled Dog Task Force in April.

The task force was appointed to review the circumstances in which 100 sled dogs were slaughtered in April 2010, and to make recommendations to prevent any such occurrence in the future.

“In public consultation British Columbians told us they wanted animals in our province to be safeguarded by a level of punishment that would deter individuals from committing acts of cruelty,” said McRae.

“I’m proud to say animals in B.C. are now protected by the toughest animal cruelty penalties in all of Canada.”

The amendments include increased penalties for animal cruelty to fines up to $75,000 and jail terms of up to two years; extending the current six-month limitation period for prosecuting offences to three years; and providing new ability for the government to set standards pertaining to the use, care and protection of animals, including sled dogs.

The sled dog slaughter sparked outrage and several petition campaigns in Canada and other countries. Robert Fawcett, manager of Howling Dog Tours, which provided sled dog tours during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, shot or stabbed the dogs and buried them in a mass grave after business had slowed and the company was downsizing.

The incident came to light in January this year after Fawcett made the confession in a worker’s compensation application in which he said he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

On Jan. 6, a clearly distraught Fawcett wrote a posting on a soldiers’ support group forum called CombatPTSD in which he told of the trauma of trying to round up and kill the dogs, which the 38-year-old father of two said he had raised himself, describing them as family.

He said he was given two days by the corporation to put down the 100 dogs as a tour group was due to arrive.

The bodies of over 50 of the sled dogs have been exhumed, and forensic evidence from the investigation is being presented to the Crown to determine if criminal charges will be brought against Fawcett.

Led by the B.C. SPCA, the investigation is looking into evidence that the animals were killed in an undue and inhumane way. The society has hired a team of international forensic investigators with experience investigating the notorious case of Robert Pickton and mass graves in Rwanda, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The team is looking to provide evidence of the way in which the dogs were killed.

The new legislation will also make it a provincial offence to harm a law enforcement animal. In B.C. police currently use both horses and dogs to assist in such law enforcement purposes as crowd control, offender apprehension, search and rescue, and drug/explosive detection.

“This is an important piece of legislation for law enforcement and all British Columbians,” said Cst. Jason Whittaker, Canine Unit, Saanich Police Department.

“Up until now law enforcement animals have often been taken for granted. I applaud the government’s stance to make B.C. the province with the toughest animal cruelty laws in Canada. Enacting these laws finally protects the animals that protect us.”