National hotline for animal cruelty and neglect is needed, say advocates

Calls for animal-cruelty hotline A London professor is calling for national animal-cruelty hotline to help curb the problem. Marek Sutherland reports.

Ontario has some of the strictest penalties for animal abuse and neglect in the country.

“Most people love animals and in particular, we want to intervene when we see someone harming an animal,” says Dr. Kendra Coulter.

Coulter, a professor at Huron University College at Western and fellow with the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, believes clarity in how people report abuse and neglect to animals is needed on a national level.

“Who to call can be quite confusing across Canada can vary depending on the type of animal the time of day, the time of the week,” says Coulter. “And that's because there's a cross section of different organizations that will be responsible for responding.”

Ontario made sweeping changes back in 2020 to how animal abuse is reported and investigated, centralizing the reporting and investigative responsibilities.

“Prior to 2020 it was the SPCA that provided enforcement for cruelty and neglect and then January 1 2020, got for review was moved over to the ministry of the Solicitor General,” says Kent Lattanzio, director of operations for London Animal Care Centre.

Coulter agrees, but believes that model needs to expand.

“Ontario's model of having a dedicated provincial team is a strong and appropriate solution for the province because the premise is that there will be equitable service regardless of the community and it's government funded, because it's a kind of law enforcement.”

Officers at London Animal Care Centre report suspicious behaviour while conducting by-law infraction inquiries

“There's not incidences of cruelty that are immediate, but they might notice an animal that as neglect, and our officers will contact the Ministry and say, Hey, this is what we've noticed. Could you please look into it?” Lattanzio says.

“We want to see animals provided with the protections that they are afforded in law” Coulter adds.

You can visit the Solicitor General’s page to learn more about how to report animal abuse and neglect.