WHEREAS there have been many incidents of animal abuse in the news lately, and, the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals BC SPCA receives no government funding to conduct animal cruelty investigations and lacks sufficient resources to enforce the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, resulting in increased demands on local government to take action in response to animal welfare complaints; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the Province of British Columbia to demonstrate its commitment to the welfare of animals in the province by providing appropriate funding to allow the BC SPCA to effectively prevent and respond to incidents of animal abuse.
Ministry of Agriculture Public health and safety and the welfare of animals are important to the Government of British Columbia and as such the 2011 amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act will ensure a greater level of protection for the animals of British Columbia. The Ministry of Agriculture is not in a position to financially support the BC SPCA at this time. The Ministry of Agriculture encourages all local governments to work with the BC SPCA to address animal welfare issues locally.