Friday, May 28, 2010

To me, definitive proof that Faces of CHANGE is independent. And my heretical idea of the day.

You may have heard about the 38 additional animal cruelty charges against all of the current directors of the Toronto Humane Society...OBAAT has the text of the OSPCA press release here.

To all the conspiracy theorists...how many tinfoil hats can there be in the world, anyway?

To me, this proves definitively that Faces of CHANGE is not allied with OSPCA. The timing of these charges is strategically very poor.

If, as the conspiracy theorists theorize, Faces of CHANGE and OSPCA were allied these charges would have been laid AFTER the THS board election on May 30th.

To have the charges laid before the election distracts from the election and gives the conspiracy theorists too much material to work with. Too much slaver on keyboards and spittle spewed on monitors. Someone could get electrocuted. Again. Bad strategy.

Strategically, having the charges laid after the election would give more leeway for messaging. It would be "you chose right" if Faces is the winning slate, and something else if Faces is not the winning slate.

Thank about it.

Then it's rabies shots on the house for the conspiracy flakes.
Although it might be too late for some of them.

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Heretical idea of the day:

Do we really need the Toronto Humane Society?
The city has survived six months without it.
Would the animals of the city be better served if we pushed the city to make Toronto Animal Services no-kill for all species, using the Calgary model? And got city funding for Toronto Wildlife Centre, to help with the non-domesticated animals? Push the mayoral slate for their stand on animal services? Push the city councillors?

All it takes is knowledge.
And will.

Think about it.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Vote for Faces of CHANGE in the May 30th Toronto Humane Society election

And here are the reasons...hope this comes through okay, my cut 'n paste from the Faces of Change e-mail killed the lovely formatting and pictures in the original e-mail.

We’ve spoken to members on the phone and at our meet the candidates’ night. Your questions are always thoughtful and focussed on what’s best for the animals. But one comes up more than any other…

Why should you vote for the Faces of CHANGE?

Because you have to understand a problem before you can fix it.

The Toronto Humane Society has been through some tough times. And the Faces of CHANGE have been there, fighting every step of the way to help the animals in its care.

None of the candidates on the Faces of CHANGE team is with the OSPCA or the incumbent board. But we volunteered at the THS under the old board, and we continued to help the animals after the OSPCA raided the building.

We are the only team with the expertise to lead the Toronto Humane Society into the future. We want an end to old battles, and a future where the animals come first.

Veterinary Expertise
Dr. Hanna Booth
After the November raids, Dr. Hanna Booth volunteered inside the THS. Despite being 9 months pregnant, Hanna spent 14 hour days treating the more than 1,000 animals in desperate need of veterinary care.

She also reached out to suppliers and convinced them to donate over $100,000 worth of drugs and laboratory tests.

A passionate advocate for spay/neuter, Hanna takes every opportunity to speak out on behalf of the animals. Last week she was on TVO’s The Agenda, discussing the OSPCA, the THS, and the question of when to euthanize animals.

Pit Bull Rescue
Marcie Laking
If there’s a hero in this story, it’s Marcie Laking. When the cruelty was uncovered, she kept the spotlight on the shelter and the pressure on the board to make things right for the animals.

After the raid, she was in the shelter every day – cleaning cages, grooming cats, walking dogs – whatever needed to be done. But she didn’t stop there.

Marcie’s also a passionate advocate for pit bulls. She finds homes outside of Ontario for dozens of pit bulls every year. This month alone, she helped re-home six pit bull puppies. The Faces of CHANGE slate supports MPP Cheri DiNovo’s Bill 222 to repeal breed specific legislation.

Tuesday at 11am tune your radio to 89.5FM (or live stream it from www.ciut.fm) to hear Marcie talk about pit bulls and animal welfare issues.

30 Years of Governance Experience
Peter Newell, BA, MA, JD

Peter Newell is an expert in corporate governance. In the last 30 years he has served on some 150 boards.

He’s a top notch corporate lawyer (with Ogilvy Renault, one of Canada’s leading firms) who works on international cases… but who’s also found time to give free legal advice to Adopt-a-Dog/Save-a-Life dog rescue – for more than 15 years.

Vote for Experience. Vote for CHANGE.

The Faces of CHANGE team is the only team with the expertise to lead the Toronto Humane Society into the future. We have experts in animal welfare and corporate governance. We have experience inside the shelter and around the boardroom table. We have contacts with rescue groups and corporate donors.

The animals don't have a voice. The animals don't have a vote. But you do. When you cast your vote, know that a vote for the Faces of CHANGE is a vote for the animals. To learn more, visit www.reformTHS.com.


Mark your ballot today
Support the Faces of CHANGE
www.reformTHS.com

Words for the day

It being a lazy Sunday, I was thinking about some of my favourite and not-so-favourite words. Here are a few for your consideration, with definitions courtesy of dictionary.com. Interestingly, they all are related to behaviour.

Altruism:
1. the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others (opposed to egoism).
2. Animal Behavior. behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, as a warning cry that reveals the location of the caller to a predator.

Honesty:
1. the quality or fact of being honest; uprightness and fairness.
2. truthfulness, sincerity, or frankness.
3. freedom from deceit or fraud.

Integrity:
1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

Responsible (and by extension, responsibility):
1. answerable or accountable, as for something within one's power, control, or management (often fol. by to or for): He is responsible to the president for his decisions.
2. involving accountability or responsibility: a responsible position.
3. chargeable with being the author, cause, or occasion of something (usually fol. by for): Termites were responsible for the damage.

Courage:
1. the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.
2. Obsolete. the heart as the source of emotion.

Cowardice:
(I also like pusillanimity but it's a real conversation stopper when one has a lisp, a stutter and a stammer.)
lack of courage to face danger, difficulty, opposition, pain, etc.

Duplicity:
1. deceitfulness in speech or conduct; speaking or acting in two different ways concerning the same matter with intent to deceive; double-dealing.

Cupidity:
(and no, it has nothing to to do with Valentine's Day)
eager or excessive desire, esp. to possess something; greed; avarice.

What are your favourite words?