Re: Lincoln County Humane Society and Strooband's latest pitch for money...Strooband and the LCHS are proposing a low cost spay/neuter clinic for those who will have to prove that they can't afford regular vet fees; such a clinic is DEFINITELY NOT modelled after such clinics in Newmarket and Barrie which have no income restrictions,but rather a set minimum fee, and are open to the general public, including rescue and TNR groups alike; furthermore, such clinics are independent and self-sustaining once they are operational and do not continually make "pitches" for more money from local municipalities as the LCHS will surely do; the stray and feral overpopulation WILL NOT be addressed by a clinic that will require a "means test" or qualification because it has been shown that people will not bother to meet such a requirement with the result that cats(including pets) will be abandoned and left to go on having litters; in addition, a TNR program needs to be implemented immediately, not later, to begin to stop all of the unwanted litters and save lives while they can still be saved; the LCHS is also continuing to be a "KILL OPERATION" as it always has been and has never mentioned, to my knowledge, that they plan to become no-kill or even try to become no-kill...TNR alone is predicated on a no-kill philosophy so it is clearly hypocritical of the LCHS to initiate such a program when it hasn't, in fact, committed itself to be a no-kill shelter; WHAT NIAGARA REALLY NEEDS is a high volume, low cost spay/neuter clinic (as the types mentioned above) which will serve all of Niagara and as described in my petition to the Ontario Legislature.

• The OSPCA decided to kill ALL 350 animals at its Newmarket , ON shelter on May 11, 2010, due to a ringworm outbreak they called an extremely aggressive virulent strain of ringworm?

• Due to a huge public outcry, they backed down, yet still killed at least 102 animals?

• The OSPCA later admitted that they HAD NOT TESTED all of the animals for ringworm?

• The York Region Health Department confirmed the ringworm strain was not more virulent than typical strains?

• The killing continues: Since May 11, 2010 over 800 animals have been killed by the OSPCA?

• Ringworm is a curable fungus condition and is never considered a reason for euthanasia (killing)?

• The Humane Society of Durham has closed its shelter twice in the last 10 years to deal with ringworm outbreaks and in both cases never lost an animal.

• When Newmarket/Aurora MPP Frank Klees asked Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci in the Ontario Legislature to call a halt to the mass euthanasia, Bartolucci refused, saying that he had NO AUTHORITY to intervene with the OSPCA?

• However, his government under his direct legislation in Bill 50 in 2008, granted the OSPCA sweeping police powers of search, arrest and seizure with NO accountability?

• In spite of overwhelming evidence, on Nov 18, 2010 the Ontario legislature rejected a Bill to review the OSPCA?

• OSPCA enforcement officers have little or no training in animal care or law enforcement?

• They have the power AND authority to seize your pet, arrest and charge you under the Criminal Code?

• The Crown withdrew all charges against the Toronto Humane Society when the OSPCA bungled an investigation?

• In 2006 29 out of 36 OSPCA directors publicly resigned, asking the Premier to remove police powers and investigate spending?

• The ringworm outbreak and euthanasia issue is just a symptom of a MUCH larger problem within the OSPCA?

• That problems date back to the late 1980’s and earlier, with public complaints and demands for accountability?

• That the executive of the OSPCA do not have a background or experience in animal care?

• That the CEO of the OSPCA (Kate Macdonald) has a background in corporate fundraising?

• That the Chair of the OSPCA (Rob Godfrey) has a background in sports?

• That your voice can make a difference?

• That the only way to fix this problem is to change legislation?

• That you can help by spreading awareness – share this information with all your friends.

• Hold your MPP accountable – share this information with them.

• Support and vote in October 2011 for candidates that will vote for OSPCA oversight.

I am very impressed what you do for feral and homeless cats and what you have achieved so far without any support from our town. I know much of your own money goes for spay and neutering and feeding some secret colonies.
I only can agree to your comments to the intentions of the Lincoln County Humane Society.
From another source I learned that one of the city councilors said that he must not read any arguments against charging a license fee to cat owners.
This person obviously does not know what he does not know and is too ignorant to learn. If ignorance is a sign of accepted leadership than I feel sorry for Grimsby and other towns in our area.
What he suggests is a new money grab, more cats will lose a home and many seniors may lose a companion when they are on a limited budget.
To get low cost spay and neuter service by showing an income statement is disgusting for everybody. People which are on welfare or government support can still go to casinos without being asked. Maybe the next step is to demand that everybody under the poverty line must always wear a batch to identify himself as part of this growing group.
We do not need more administrators, directors and assistants to them. What we need in our councils are well educated people with a good track record who can work without the extensive use of consultants. We need people with good business sense and a clear vision for money saving without lowering our standard of living. That is possible. So much money is wasted without results which the public can see.
A well set up low cost spay neutering program would save money in the future. New fees will not do the job. Will an old lady who feed birds or squirrels need in future a license to do that?
Don’t give up Tony! You are fighting for a good purpose. There are so many others who fight almost against everything but without showing a way how in a prosperous future. I am talking about the battle against wind power.

The Welland Feral Cat Support Group has become aware of the indiscriminate trapping of cats in this area and is prepared to question these actions as being illegal and, in fact, a form of animal cruelty; those residents acting as part of the so-called "trapping committee" sanctioned by the city and Welland Humane Society or any individual resident or homeowner acting on their own, and even within the city's cat bylaw, should be prepared to face legal challenges under the provincial act. - the Ontario Animal Welfare Act.
The trapping taking place is nothing less than a form of "entrapment" with area cats being lured away from their own territory by the placement of food in backyard traps: strays, ferals, and even household pets are vulnerable to this misconceived plan, a plan which shows little regard for the welfare of these animals and clearly places them at high risk for injury and possible death, especially when trapping is being done by those with little or no experience and whose self-professed motives only involve getting rid of any animal by any means they can get away with.
The fact that a trap may be called "humane" does not mean that its purpose and use will guarantee that it will be "humanely used; and, not withstanding the mild temperatures recently being experienced, the fact remains that nighttime and early morning temperatures have reached 0 degrees and below, which puts a caged cat at risk of freezing to death.
All animals are protected under provincial legislation, including feral cats, and I will argue that the treatment of these neighbourhood cats is a violation of provincial statutes, regardless of what might be allowed under municipal bylaws which are clearly outdated and have never anticipated having to address feral cat issues.
The specific section of the provincial Act states: Section 11.2: "No person shall cause an animal to be in distress; no owner or custodian of an animal shall permit the animal to be in distress. There is a maximum $60,000 dollar fine and two(2) years in jail for the above offences." And the fact that "distress" is caused to animals in this targeted and mass trapping is not in the least bit mitigated by the return of trapped animals to their owners, guardians or caregivers; the question is not whether "distress" is caused but rather to what degree this form of abuse is being tolerated or why it is being tolerated at all.
Feral cat caregivers are committed to the proper care and management of all cats in their charge and on an ongoing basis; consequently, we are deeply troubled by these trapping "tactics" which continue to cause animals under our care to be in constant danger of mistreatment; we deeply regret that certain residents are willfully participating in acts which we consider unlawful and we have 125 signatures from ward one residents (and no signatories from outside the ward!) who have clearly indicated their support for the feral colony in question as well as support for our overall TNR initiatives.
cat issue and further, why the city of Welland and WDHS choose to ignore the majority wishes of ward one property owners whose voices have been "drowned out" by a few very vocal complainers who are intent on having their own way regardless of the views of others in their own community (and this includes the feral cat supporters who are also taxpayers in the very same ward!) I do not believe Welland bylaws were designed to serve the needs of a minority in one single ward and yet there is overwhelming evidence that this is precisely the case in ward one; many of us know that the cat overpopulation crisis is a city-wide issue and, in fact, a Region-wide issue; indeed, the attention and distraction that is involved in dealing with the ward 1 complainants are a direct insult to Welland taxpayers as a whole because their own legitimate cat issues and needs are being ignored ...a fact which I can attest to on a daily basis with the steady influx of e-mails coming in to the Welland Feral Cat website and all asking for assistance with TNR and/or vet bills.
A bylaw should not be used to empower the few to be able to do the wrong thing at the expense of the many who want to do the right thing; and this is especially so when the neighbouring municipalities are doing the right thing such as establishing and supporting TNR programs; above all, a compassionate and caring community does not treat any animal as a disposable commodity, especially when the problem was human-created in the first place.
It is said that a society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable and needy and those same "few" who are obsessed with power and control will certainly be found wanting in that judgment... and one can expect that they will continue with their own self-absorbed interests. But for those of us who care enough to try to make a difference, it is time to stand up for these cats who have the right to live the lives they have been given.

Respectfully, on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves, Tony Porcaro, Founder, The Welland Feral Cat Support Group