Hearts and Minds: The “Be Veg” Ad Campaign Returns to Toronto
In 2009, subway passengers from across Toronto were greeted with a provocative ad campaign that challenged them with a simple question: Why Love One But Eat The Other? The ads were put together and distributed by a dedicated Toronto team with the help of Mercy For Animals, and offered viewers information about factory farming in...
Move Over Dog Whisperer: Alana Stevenson’s Training Your Dog the Humane Way
With a growing industry of products, services, and even TV shows, dog training is big business in the United States and Canada. But some of the most popular practices in the dog training world are abusive and rely on dominance and intimidation to control behavior. Alana Stevenson, author of Training Your Dog the Humane Way: Simple...
One Face of Change: An Interview with Marcie Laking
Ever since the shutdown and investigation of the Toronto Humane Society by the OSPCA last fall, the state of animal care in the city of Toronto has been difficult to discern. Marred by political rivalries and mixed messages, the battle to bring animal care at the THS back to an acceptable level has been arduous....
Rat Chick: An Interview with Maria Pandolfi
For most people, even people who might consider themselves “animal lovers,” the rat is not a very loved animal. They are commonly seen as pests by the majority of people who have never had contact with them, and outside of that context, they are used extensively in animal testing / research, and also bred as...
A Relationship, Fraught: Discussing The Role of Dogs in Native Communities with WSPA’s Josey Kitson
Often considered a “third world within the first world” the hardships that aboriginal nations in Canada face on reserves are staggering. Lack of proper infrastructure, access to education, or clean drinking water are problems that are all too common, and these communities struggle on a consistent basis to get their basic needs met. In such...
Shadow City: An Interview with Cat City Director Justine Pimlott
Beneath the finely constructed facades of an urban centre such as Toronto, there is a different city that teems and struggles to make its way. Though we’re probably all familiar with the cats that live in our homes or neighbourhoods, we might not know so much about the other world of cats that exists in...
Filling the Ark: Dr. Leslie Irvine discusses animals in disasters
When disaster strikes, news reports come fast and furious with constant updates and around the clock coverage. However, the coverage of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods is almost always human-focused; where animals are concerned, the media often has little to say, especially if those animals were to become food or be used as research subjects....
Friends or Dinner?: A Toronto Subway System Campaign Stops the Public in Its Tracks
“Why love one but eat the other?” is the provocative slogan of the recent campaign launched by concerned citizens of Toronto and the U.S.-based animal advocacy organization, Mercy for Animals. This ambitious initiative, running June 9th to August 15th, involves a series of visually-striking subway posters that centrally juxtapose images of animals typically considered pets...
Matters of Life and Death: The Toronto Humane Society Under Investigation
Toronto listeners will likely be aware of the recent Globe and Mail’s shocking investigation of the Toronto Humane Society (THS), Canada’s largest animal shelter. The allegations are serious and damning, including claims that animals languish in filthy conditions, as others are left to slowly die without proper veterinary care, while still others are adopted out...
Reaching Out: The VegFund and Pet Loss Program Offer Support
At first glance, that decadent dairy-free brownie may seem like any other dessert, but in the hands of a savvy vegan advocate, that sweet treat can transform into a powerful tool for social and environmental change. As many vegans know, tasty animal-free foods shared at a potluck or offered as a gift can open dialogues...
