New transport regulations don’t go far enough to protect farmed animals
The federal government has finally released the new farmed animal transport regulations, which were last revised in 1977. Alarmingly, the new rules fail to address some of the most major animal welfare concerns and offer only minor improvements to the existing, outdated regulations. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) own statistics indicate that approximately 14 million animals suffer injuries during transportation annually in Canada
It’s time to ban inhumane predacides in Canada
Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is currently consulting Canadians on how the humaneness of pesticides to control predators (predacides) could be considered during their approval and use. There are currently three active ingredients registered to control large vertebrate predators in Canada: sodium fluoroacetate (Compound 1080), sodium cyanide and strychnine. For the purpose of this consultation, the focus is limited to large vertebrate predators, for
Animal advocates, experts and Members of Parliament call for stronger federal transport regulations
Every winter the issue of farmed animal transport makes news headlines across the country and this winter is no exception. Last week, during the extreme cold that hit parts of the country, CTV Toronto reported (CTV News at Noon, Jan.31, 2019, story starts at 2:45 minutes) on concerns from Toronto Pig Save advocates about the welfare of pigs being transported to Fearmans Pork slaughterhouse
Wild Trails Coffee in North Vancouver goes vegan
Wild Trails Coffee is a family-run coffee shop based in North Vancouver. VHS spoke with this mother-daughter team about their decision to make the coffee shop fully vegan and their commitment to helping protect animal welfare, the environment and public health. What inspired you to open Wild Trails Coffee and what do you think sets you apart from other coffee shops? We’re a mother-daughter
CFIA releases “What we heard” report from transport regulations consultation
Canada’s farmed animal transport regulations are extremely archaic (dating back to 1977) and VHS, along with other animal protection organizations and concerned citizens, have long advocated for stronger regulations to better protect animal welfare. It’s been almost a year and half since the federal government held a public consultation on its proposed amendments to the transport regulations. Disappointingly, not only were the improvements being
Handsworth student wins award for Meatless Monday efforts
Handsworth Secondary student, Meghan Little, was recently presented with a Student Recognition Award for her efforts to bring Meatless Monday to her school. Meghan’s peers and teachers nominated her for the award and even put together a video highlighting her work. The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) was honoured to be in attendance at the awards ceremony to celebrate Meghan’s success. VHS Program Coordinator, Emily
Ditch dairy for these great alternatives
In an effort to promote the consumption of dairy products, the dairy industry has dubbed June “National Dairy Month”. But with milk consumption steadily declining in Canada and more people embracing healthier, humane and less resource-intensive dairy alternatives, we prefer to celebrate June as “National Dairy-Free Month”. In the last few years the variety of dairy-free products on grocery store shelves has grown significantly,
New bus ad reminds us that animals are friends, not food
VHS’s new Translink bus ad highlighting our Go Veg campaign recently hit the streets of Vancouver. The ad, which features a young girl petting a pig, aims to remind us that when we were children we instinctively saw animals as friends and not food. VHS’s Go Veg campaign works to help people rediscover that innate love for animals and to raise awareness of the
Earth Day: Go plant-based for the planet
Today marks the 48th annual Earth Day celebration and around the world events and efforts will be taking place to draw attention to the need for stronger environmental protections. As the global community reflects today on the increasingly sensitive state of the planet and what role we as individuals can play in tackling what can sometimes feel like an overwhelming issue, it’s important to
Meatless Monday is on the menu at Kwantlen Polytechnic
Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s food service provider, Sodexo, and the school’s “Let’s Be Compassionate” club recently joined forces to raise awareness of the University’s involvement in the increasingly popular Meatless Monday movement. The two groups organized a Meatless Monday outreach event at the Surrey campus, where they distributed information about the benefits of a plant-based diet and samples of the cafeteria’s Meatless Monday options. Students
