Canadian Federation of Humane Societies

2010 Annual Report

Building Humane Communities

Table of Contents

Message from the President ..........................................................................3

Our Work in 2010

Building support for an effective animal cruelty law ...........................4

Building humane communities ........................................................4

Improving the lives of companion animals ........................................5

Speaking out against inhumane slaughter & transportation .................6

Raising the bar on farm animal care ................................................7

Strengthening humane societies & SPCAs .........................................8

Fostering national leadership & collaboration among animal

welfare organizations ....................................................................9

Contributing to national oversight of the use of animals in

research ......................................................................................9

CFHS Member Societies ................................................................................10

Our Board of Directors .................................................................................11
Staff & Volunteers .......................................................................................12
Financial Statements ...................................................................................13
Treasurers Report .......................................................................................14
Our Supporters ...........................................................................................15

Message from the President

Following our goal of influencing public
policy and regulations, we spoke out against
inhumane horse slaughter and urged
government regulators to take action, while
continuing to push for long overdue changes
to the animal cruelty section of the Criminal
Code.
We helped companion animals by increasing
awareness of puppy mills and the dangers
of buying pets through online classified
ads, and we continued to build a national
network of animal welfare organizations to
facilitate better collaboration and sharing of
best practices.

The staff and Board of Directors of the

Canadian Federation of Humane Societies
(CFHS) spent much time and effort during
2010 building on the directions outlined in
our strategic plan.
The new board structure, in which senior
staff representatives from our member
organizations hold a majority of seats,
allows the CFHS to function as more of a
member-driven organization. We strive to
continually respond to the needs of our
members humane societies, SPCAs, and
other animal welfare organizations working
in communities across Canada.
The CFHS made progress in 2010 on several
strategic directions, such as gathering and
disseminating knowledge, information,
and tools to organizations across the
country that will strengthen their ability to
help animals. We continue to draw on the
expertise of both member and non-member
organizations to achieve our goals.

The Board of Directors moved forward with

its plans to bring greater financial stability
to the CFHS, while bearing in mind the
financial challenges that all organizations in
the animal welfare sector face. The board
chose to wind down the CFHS Foundation
as it was decided that this structure
did not serve the evolving needs of the
organization.
Of course, none of this progress would
have been possible without the outstanding
contributions of our skilled staff working
hand in hand with our dedicated volunteer
board members, as well as the caring
Canadians whose involvement has helped
us work towards a better life for animals
nationwide. Every time our supporters have
made a donation, spread the key messages
we promote, or responded to a call to action
by writing a letter to a public official on an
important issue, theyve helped us move
one step closer to a future where all animals
are treated humanely.
My thanks to all of you.
Sincerely,
Bob Osterhout
President
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Our Work in 2010

Building support for an effective animal cruelty law
For more than 10 years, the CFHS has
spearheaded a campaign pushing for much-
needed changes to Canadas outdated animal
cruelty law. The current animal cruelty sections
of the Criminal Code were written in 1892 and
are in dire need of modernization. Many animal
abusers currently fall through the cracks due to
loopholes in the law.

would not outlaw standard industry practices.

What they would do is provide animals with
proper protection from egregious acts of abuse
or neglect.
We also met with the Canadian Police
Association. Many within the law enforcement
sector understand, and
have seen first-hand, the
connection between abuse
of animals and violence
towards human beings. By
building bridges within this
sector, we aim to bring a
unified, credible message
to Parliament that any
serious strategy on crime
must include a stronger
animal cruelty law.

SPEAK UP

We kept the issue in

the public eye and the
pressure on Parliament in
2010 with a newly updated
version of our Stop Animal
Abuse website (www.
stopanimalabuse.ca).
Thousands of Canadians
have used the site to send
messages directly to the
Justice Minister and their
MPs demanding change to
the legislation.
Meanwhile, CFHS staff worked behind the scenes
to build support among key stakeholders, such
as national livestock associations. We know that
without the support of these groups, the changes
to the Criminal Code that we seek stand little
chance of passing in Parliament. Its essential for
these groups to understand that these changes

FOR THOSE THAT CANNOT!

StopAnimalAbuse.ca

Finally, we continued to
liaise with the Canadian
Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) on this
issue, as they share our position on the dire need
for an updated federal animal cruelty law. The
CVMA has continued to educate veterinarians
about animal abuse, how to recognize the signs,
and their legal obligation in certain provinces to
report animal cruelty.

Building humane communities

Ending animal cruelty in
Canada will not be achieved
with stronger laws alone.
We also need a widespread
ethic of respect for animals
and humane treatment in our
communities.
To help foster humane
communities, the CFHS
produced a poster this
year that declares: This
is a Humane Community:
we report suspected animal abuse. By

displaying these posters in their windows,

CFHS supporters across the country are
signalling to their neighbours that animal
abuse is unacceptable and that it is the
responsibility of all of us to prevent it.
The CFHS also continued to build an online
community of Canadians who care about
animal welfare. We helped thousands
of CFHS website visitors, e-newsletter
subscribers, and supporters on Facebook
stay up to date on key animal welfare
issues and opportunities to take action.
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Our Work in 2010

Improving the lives of companion animals
People in abusive relationships often delay
leaving for fear of what would happen to pets
left in the home with the abuser. Thats why,
in 2009, the CFHS initiated Women and Pets
Escaping Violence, a pilot project in the Ottawa
area to help women escape abusive homes
without having to leave their pets behind.
Early in 2010 we wrapped up the project and
reported our results to the Ontario Trillium
Foundation, which provided funding. We also
gave a presentation at the annual conference of
Quebecs provincial veterinary association about
the link between animal cruelty and domestic
violence. It is our hope that the program model
and lessons learned from this project will be
applied in communities throughout Canada to
help people and their pets escape abuse.

participation, the NCAC also began exploring the

feasibility of establishing a central national portal
for accessing microchip information and started
developing educational messaging for the public
and breeders on the problem of genetic disorders in
purebred pets.
In October, the CFHS attended the annual Summit
for Urban Animal Strategies, fostering important
connections and resulting in our planned participation
in the Year of the Cat initiative. Throughout 2011,
we will join partners across the country in promoting
responsible cat ownership and community solutions
to stray cat overpopulation. This will result in more
cats lives being saved through increased spaying and
neutering, permanent identification, and adoption of
cats from shelters.

The CFHSs Companion Animal Committee,

freshly rejuvenated with several new members,
began in 2010 to lay the groundwork for
a national campaign in 2011 encouraging
responsible pet acquisition. Using social media
to reach the same online audiences being
targeted by puppy mills and backyard breeders,
this campaign will teach Canadians about the
dangers of buying animals from disreputable
sources and the joy of acquiring pets from
responsible, humane sources like animal shelters
and reputable breeders.
As a member of the Canadian Veterinary Medical
Associations Animal Welfare Committee, in 2010
the CFHS participated in the development of
several new CVMA position statements as well
as public education materials discouraging ear
cropping and tail docking in dogs.
As part of the National Companion Animal
Coalition (NCAC), we continued to participate in
the oversight of microchip technologies used in
Canada to identify pets. The goal is to ensure
that any new products meet the Canadian
microchip standards, making it easier for lost
pets to be reunited with their owners. With our

The year was brought to a close with the annual

Iams Home for the Holidays pet adoption
campaign. Once again, the CFHS acted as the lead
campaign partner in Canada, spreading the message
through our website, Facebook page, and outreach
to media. Over the course of the campaign, from
October 2010 to early January 2011, over 1 million
homeless pets were adopted from participating
shelters into permanent, loving homes.







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Our Work in 2010

Speaking out against inhumane slaughter
and transportation
When shocking undercover videos of horses
being mistreated at slaughterhouses were
released in early 2010, we took action with
the BC SPCA by submitting a report to the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
outlining the serious regulatory infractions
seen in the videos. We followed up with
several meetings with the CFIA, pushing for
greater oversight of slaughter facilities and
the slaughter process, as well as stricter
enforcement of the regulations. Disappointed
by the agencys less-than-rigorous intervention
on this issue, we urged supporters to write to
the Auditor General asking for an investigation
into the CFIAs lax enforcement of humane
slaughter regulations, as well as animal
transport regulations.
We also continued to urge the Agriculture
Minister to table the long-promised
amendments to animal transport regulations.
Canada currently allows cattle to be
transported for up to 52 hoursone of the
longest times permitted anywhere in the

industrialized world. In addition to shorter

transport times for all species, the CFHS
is calling for maximum loading densities,
mandatory ventilation, training for truckers
hauling livestock, and better enforcement.
Through our newsletters, website, and
other communication channels, we alerted
thousands of Canadians to these urgently
needed changes and encouraged them to write
to the Agriculture Minister.
To learn more about the transport of poultry,
the CFHS submitted an Access to Information
request for records on the transport of spent
egg-laying hens and broiler chickens from
one of Canadas biggest poultry producers.
According to the governments own statistics,
more than 600,000 chickens die during
transport every year, and millions more are
severely injured. This is unacceptable. When
we receive the information weve requested,
we will use it to highlight the problems and we
hope to create a groundswell of support for
better regulations and strict enforcement.

Our Work in 2010

Raising the bar on farm animal care
The CFHS continues to promote the humane
treatment of farm animals by working to improve
Canadas codes of practice for farm animal care and
advocating for on-farm assessment programs to
make sure the codes are being followed.
The CFHS is a founding member of the National
Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), which is
responsible for reviewing and revising national
codes of practice for the treatment of farm animals.
These codes set standards that livestock producers
are expected (but not, so far, required) to adhere to.
Last year we were encouraged by the adoption
of a much improved code development process.
Thanks in part to the CFHSs urging, the
new process requires the involvement of an
independent scientists committee and is open
to public comment. The code for dairy cattle was
revised using the new process and is a substantial
improvement over the previous version.

argued for a third-party system in which an

independent, non-industry body would regularly
inspect farms to ensure the codes are being
followed.
The NFACC now plans to develop an on-farm
animal care assessment model, for which
government funding was announced in early
2010. The goal is to create a model for an on-farm
audit program that can be adopted by industry
associations to assess whether the codes are
being followed by producers. We believe this is a
step in the right direction, and we will continue
to encourage the use of independent, third-party
assessments.

In 2010, the CFHS enlisted the aid of animal

welfare experts to represent us on the development
committees for five more codes of practice, for
the beef, pork, equine, mink, and ranched fox
industries. From now to 2013 when the revised
codes are to be complete, our representatives
will be at the table advocating for better living
environments and more humane husbandry
practices.
Meanwhile, the CFHS continued to promote a
transition from voluntary compliance to mandatory
compliance for these codes of practice. We have

Our Work in 2010

Strengthening humane societies & SPCAs
Throughout the year, the CFHS
continued to serve humane societies
and SPCAs across Canada by providing
information, advice, and learning and
mentorship opportunities, helping
them to better serve animals in their
communities.

We kept Canadian animal welfare

organizations up to date on emerging
animal welfare issues, news,
publications, conferences, and funding
opportunities through our monthly
e-bulletin and website. Our member
organizations enjoyed the added benefit
of a members-only online forum,
connecting with each other to share
resources, advice, and more.

We began a major initiative this year

to help improve animal shelters access
to trained euthanasia technicians and
preferred euthanasia drugs. Our goal
for this multi-year project is to ensure
that any shelter animals whose lives
cannot be saved are put down in the
most humane, caring way possible. This
year, working closely with our member
society the BC SPCA, we developed a
discussion paper that outlines major
challenges related to euthanasia in
animal shelters due to limited access to
euthanasia drugs, as well as potential
solutions. We met with Health Canada
to present the paper and discuss various
options for resolving this complex
regulatory issue, which requires further
research and discussion.
We also helped humane societies and
SPCAs help more animals in their
communities by granting funding
from the Frederic A. McGrand Trust
for humane education projects. Every
year the CFHS awards grants from
this capital trust, left by Senator
Frederic A. McGrand, to animal welfare
organizations in Atlantic Canada. In
2010, we provided grants to the Burin
Peninsula SPCA, CAT Action Team,
Fredericton SPCA, Hants County SPCA
and the Kindness Club Inc., enabling
them to teach humane values and raise
awareness of critical animal welfare
issues among children and adults across
the Maritimes.

Our Work in 2010

Fostering national leadership & collaboration
among animal welfare organizations
In April, the CFHS hosted a summit that
brought together executives from animal
welfare agencies across Canada, including
CFHS member societies and non-members.
This was the first time a meeting of this nature
has been convened in decades, and it planted
the seeds for closer collaboration among
Canadas humane societies and SPCAs for
years to come.
Two concrete plans emerged from the summit:
to develop national standards for shelters,
covering areas such as adoption screening,
spay/neuter of adopted animals, and humane
euthanasia practices; and, over the longer
term, to create an accreditation program for
shelters that will address operations, financial
management, fundraising, and governance.
Building capacity and collaboration within
Canadas animal welfare sector will bring real

benefits to animals. By working together and

learning from each other, animal sheltering
organizations will be able to rescue more stray
and abused animals, keep them healthier
in their shelters, and place more of them
in loving, permanent homes. Advocacy-
based organizations can share research and
partner together on campaigns, giving them a
greater chance of successfully changing laws
and policies to provide better protection for
animals.
Another way that the CFHS exercises
leadership is the development of position
statements on specific animal welfare issues.
Based on a careful consideration of animal
welfare principles, these statements are
often referenced by humane societies and
SPCAs, government, academic researchers,
and media. This year, we revised our position
statements on trapping and euthanasia.

Contributing to national oversight of the use of

animals in research
Every year in Canada, approximately two million
animals are used for research, teaching, and testing.
As a founding member of the Canadian Council
on Animal Care (CCAC), which sets and maintains
standards for the use of animals in research, the
CFHS has contributed to improving the welfare of
animals used in laboratories.
In 2010, the CFHS continued to participate in the
CCAC, with representatives on the council as well as
two of its committees. We also approve community
representatives to serve on assessment panels,
which do onsite visits to facilities to ensure they are
following CCAC guidelines for providing humane care
and treatment, minimizing pain and discomfort, and
avoiding the unnecessary use of animals.

CFHS Member Societies

The CFHS is a member-driven federation, with member organizations working in nine Canadian
provinces and two territories to help animals in their communities.
Our strength is in our membership. We are proud to have counted the following organizations as
members in 2010.
AniMatch Inc. (Ile Perrot, QC)
British Columbia SPCA
Burin Peninsula SPCA (Burin Bay Arm, NL)
Canadian Association for Humane Trapping
Charlotte County SPCA Inc. (St. Stephen, NB)
Cochrane & Area Humane Society (Cochrane, AB)
Exploits Valley SPCA (Grand Falls-Windsor, NL)
Fredericton SPCA (Fredericton, NB)
Gander & Area SPCA (Gander, NL)
Guelph Humane Society (Guelph, ON)
Hamilton/Burlington SPCA (Hamilton, ON)
Humane Society Dawson (Dawson City, YT)
Humane Society Yukon /Mae Bachur Animal Shelter (Whitehorse, YT)
Kindness Club Inc. (Fredericton, NB)
Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society (Kitchener, ON)
Lakeland Humane Society (Cold Lake, AB)
Meadow Lake & District Humane Society (Meadow Lake, SK)
Medicine Hat SPCA (Medicine Hat, AB)
Moncton SPCA (Moncton, NB)
New Brunswick SPCA
Northwest Territories SPCA
Nova Scotia Humane Society
Oromocto & Area SPCA (Oromocto, NB)
Ottawa Humane Society (Ottawa, ON)
Prince Edward Island Humane Society (Charlottetown, PE)
Red Deer and District SPCA (Red Deer, AB)
Regina Humane Society (Regina, SK)
Royal City Humane Society (New Westminster, BC)
Saskatchewan SPCA
Saskatoon SPCA (Grasswood, SK)
Socit protectrice des animaux de Qubec (Quebec, QC)
SPA de lEstrie (Sherbrooke, QC)
SPCA Pninsule Acadienne Inc. (Ste-Ccile, NB)
Victoria County SPCA (Arthurette, NB)
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Our Board of Directors

The CFHS Board of Directors is composed of senior staff representatives from our member
organizations as well as other individuals with a passion for animal welfare. Each has
given countless hours to strengthen and provide direction to the federation. The following
people served as board and committee members in 2010:

Executive

Robert Osterhout, President

Sue Schaepsmeyer (Calgary Humane Society), First Vice-President

Craig Daniell (British Columbia SPCA), Secretary

Marilyn Tan, Treasurer

Stephanie Walsh (Fredericton SPCA)
Directors at large

James Bandow (Canadian Association for Humane Trapping)

Vicki Burns

Tiffiny Koback (Saskatoon SPCA)

Adrienne McBride

Rob McCulloch (Ottawa Humane Society)

Rita Middleton

Kelly Mullaly (PEI Humane Society)

Denys Pelletier (SPA de Qubec)

Randy Valpy
Farm Animal Committee

Craig Daniell, Chair

James Bandow

Alyssa Bell Stoneman

Vicki Burns

Mike Draper

Ian Duncan

Shelagh MacDonald

Robert Osterhout

Caroline Ramsay

Joy Ripley

Geoff Urton

Companion Animal Committee

Stephanie Walsh, Chair

Patricia Cameron

Shelagh MacDonald

Jan Kay

Robert Osterhout

Evelina Smith

Kerri Stevenson

Bills and Legislation Committee

Adrienne McBride, Chair

Tim Battle

David Buffett

Craig Daniell

Mike Draper

Robert Osterhout

Stephanie Walsh

Executive Committee

Robert Osterhout, Chair

Craig Daniell

Sue Schaepsmeyer

Stephanie Walsh

Shelagh MacDonald

Finance Committee

Rob McCulloch

Rita Middleton

Robert Osterhout

Shelagh MacDonald

Board Support and Nominating Committee

Vicki Burns, Chair

Robert Osterhout

Sue Schaepsmeyer

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Staff and Volunteers

None of the CFHSs achievements would be possible without the
contributions of its dedicated staff members and generous volunteers.
The following people worked as CFHS staff and volunteers in 2010:
Staff
Steve Carroll, Chief Executive Officer
Shelagh MacDonald, Program Director
Alyson Reid, Executive Assistant
Pat Sample, Visual Design Coordinator
Lori Waller, Communications Coordinator

Volunteers
Jocelyne Lachance
Adrienne McBride
Lori Snyder

Jocelyne Lachance was honoured this year

with an Ontario Volunteer Service Award for
her 12 years of work as a CFHS volunteer.

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Financial Summary
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
as at December 31, 2010

ASSETS

Current Assets

161,354

Investments

242,815

Capital Assets

148,811

552,980

ASSETS HELD IN RESERVE

574,411

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

Current Liabilities

110,622

Net Assets

Invested in Capital Assets

148,811

Externally Restricted

250,577

Unrestricted

42,970

442,358

552,980

INTERNALLY RESTRICTED RESERVE FUND

574,411

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
Revenues $713,000

Investment
Income
2%

Expeditures $728,235

Other

Grants

1%

1%

Administration 18%
Donations &
Memberships 31%

31%
66%

Foundations &
Sponsorships

National
Programs

Other 20%
29%

Fund Development

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Treasurers Report

Bob Osterhout, CMA

The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies Board of Directors and Finance
Committee continue to work with CFHS management to ensure the organizations
financial resources are used in support of the federations overall objectives.
To that end, the CFHS engaged a contract comptroller to assist the Finance
Committee in its financial oversight and control responsibilities. The decision was
also made to bring on a part-time staff person who will be responsible for the
bookkeeping function at CFHS.
The Finance Committee and board continue to closely monitor operating results to
ensure that the organization is on a firm financial footing that will allow us to fulfill
our mandate.
We would like to acknowledge and thank our members, donors, and supporters for
their continued generosity, without which our progress promoting animal welfare in
Canada would not be possible.

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Our Supporters
The CFHS receives no government funding. That means that every
single action we take to strengthen humane societies and improve
the welfare of animals in Canada is made possible by voluntary
contributions from Canadians who care.

Donors
The CFHS thanks all of our generous donors for their continued
support. Special mention is owed to our hundreds of Supporting
Animals Monthly (SAM) donors, who help us promote animal welfare
all year long through automatic monthly donations. By giving a regular
amount each month, SAM donors provide a stable base of funds that is
crucial to our ability to plan and implement strategic programs to help
animals.

Sponsors
We thank the following generous businesses for their support in 2010:

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Our commitment to donors

At the CFHS, we take pride in the care with which we
manage our supporters donations. We are committed to
transparency and accountability in all of our fundraising
and financial practices, adhering to the standards
set out in Imagine Canadas Ethical Fundraising and
Financial Accountability Code. Find out more about these
standards here.

Graphic design donated by Lola Design

Canadian Federation of Humane Societies

102-30 Concourse Gate, Ottawa ON K2E 7V7
1-888-678-2347 | www.cfhs.ca | info@cfhs.ca

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