Ontario commits $5.5M a year to animal welfare

Animal-rights activists are celebrating the province’s $5.5 million-a-year investment to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) to beef up inspections of zoos and aquariums, enforce animal welfare laws and crack down on puppy mills.

“This announcement begins a new era for animal protection in Ontario,” OSPCA Chair Rob Godfrey said in a release on Friday.

“We are pleased and proud to partner with the province on this historic initiative.”

The OSPCA will set up a dispatch service, which will respond to calls about animal abuse at all hours, and a squad to stop puppy and kitten mills.

It will also conduct twice-yearly inspections of zoos and aquariums and consult with scientists about marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and seals.

“These measures strengthen the enforcement of animal welfare laws in under-served areas, dedicate resources to specific areas of concern such as inspections of zoos and aquariums and will set new standards of care for marine mammals,” said Madeleine Meilleur, minister of Community Safety and Correctional Service.

Marineland came under scrutiny earlier this year when former employees claimed the quality of the water at the amusement park compromised the health of the animals.

The Toronto Zoo, meanwhile, said it “welcomes” the announcement.

“As the largest Zoo in Canada, the Toronto Zoo has always met or exceeded all provincial, national and international standards of care to ensure animal health and well-being,” the zoo said in a release.

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