The manager of the local animal shelter wants to see an Animal Protection Officer (APO) dedicated to the Flin Flon area.
Carmen Ward, manager of the Flin Flon, Creighton and Area SPCA animal shelter, said the shelter frequently receives calls reporting stray animals or animals in distress.
“We try our best to follow up, and if there is a case that needs assistance we call in the RCMP for help,” she said.
Just last month the SPCA notified the RCMP after eight cats were removed from what Ward told The Reminder was a “horrific situation.”
At the same time, Ward spoke to CBC and called for an APO to be appointed for northern Manitoba.
“I know there is a shortage of APOs in the south but up north we are in big trouble,” she told The Reminder. “There are a lot of problems and we need help.”
The Manitoba Office of the Chief Veterinarian (CVO) confirmed there are APOs in Thompson and The Pas. The officer in The Pas does not live in the community but “frequents The Pas and…is available to do inspections in The Pas,” said Dr. Colleen Marion, companion animal welfare veterinarian with the CVO.
On its website, the CVO states that it “protects animals, food and people by upholding several Manitoba laws related to animal welfare, disease control and food safety.”
It also operates the Animal Care Line, a confidential, around-the-clock service that anyone can use to report cases of animal neglect or abuse.
“Across Manitoba, regardless of whether we’re referring specifically to northern Manitoba or anywhere else in Manitoba, we have animal protection officers who are appointed to enforce our provincial animal welfare legislation, which is called the Animal Care Act,” Dr. Marion told The Reminder.
“[APOs] can also take corrective action if animals are being neglected or abused,” said a CVO spokesperson.
Ward said the local SPCA doesn’t usually call for APOs. “We really don’t, because we don’t find them a useful tool for us here, because by the time they come, if they come, it can be weeks.”
In cases of animal abuse or neglect, Ward said she calls the police. “We use the RCMP as much as we can.”
However, Ward said RCMP officers don’t always have immediate knowledge of animal protection laws. “They’re constantly having to go back and forth, calling Winnipeg and asking questions so that things are done properly. And then, again, that just takes more time.”
Dr. Marion said police officers are defined as animal protection officers in the Animal Care Act; however, the RCMP are not required to report animal welfare calls to the CVO.
Not all animal welfare calls are handled through the Animal Care Act.
“If the police are addressing them directly…and if it’s an animal welfare issue, they may be addressing it through the Animal Care Act, but they may also be addressing it through their powers of authority under the Criminal Code,” said Dr. Marion.
Dr. Marion confirmed that statistics on calls relating to animal welfare come primarily from calls to the Animal Care Line, although if the RCMP handles an animal welfare issue and contacts the Winnipeg office, those calls are counted as well.
The CVO reported a small number of inquiries through the Animal Care Line from the Flin Flon area in 2013 and 2014, “all of which were resolved,” according to a CVO spokesperson. “To date in 2015, the office reported no calls from the Flin Flon area to the Animal Care Line.”
Dr. Marion said the volume of calls received can affect whether an APO is appointed for an area.
“We don’t receive a large volume of calls that originate from the Flin Flon area, so if we were to receive a larger volume of calls of concern through our Animal Care Line, then that would potentially influence us in terms of appointing an animal protection officer locally,” she said. “The other factor to consider is individuals geographically in that area who are qualified to be appointed as animal protection officers.”
Dr. Marion said people interested in becoming animal protection officers can apply to the office of the chief veterinarian. APOs who are not employees within Manitoba Agriculture are hired as independent contractors and paid per call.
More information is available on the CVO’s website at www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/animals.
To report animal abuse, contact the Animal Care Line at 1-888-945-8001 or by email at [email protected].
— With files from Terri Eger
