 Posted - 12/28/2002 : 02:35:37  
Hello Everyone:
There is a new website about the BCSPCA that could be very important for the future of animal welfare in BC. Citizens Yell for Accountability (CYA) is a group of current and former SPCA volunteers and other animal lovers who are tired of and frustrated by “cover your ass” excuses.
CYA believes in the SPCA idea but has questions about the administration’s implementation of it, so the group’s function is to give sources of information and to get public input about how to ensure inclusion, accountability and transparency from the largest and richest animal welfare organization in the province.
There has already been a public consultation, a forum orchestrated by the SPCA in response to criticism and scandal. There were many impassioned responses and a panel distilled these into a set of recommendations. Further diluting the impact of the public’s wishes is the fact that the SPCA is under no obligation to act on any of the recommendations. In fact, their most radical decision of late, the euthanasia moratorium, came out of nowhere and appears to have been
implemented with no preparation at all. Months after the recommendations were handed down by the public consultation panel, the SPCA has continued to act in ways that cause grave concern to volunteers and others who work with animals and see the SPCA in daily operation. Furthermore, the SPCA seems as secretive as ever. For example, an April 25th to 27th general meeting looms without so much as a slate of who is running made public.
CYA exists to call for accountability. The site offers a message board for feedback and comments, and it has a petition page and questionnaires that focus on different areas. Links and research are provided for you to evaluate. After weighing the research and information, readers can sign the petitions and complete any of the questionnaires, thus adding to the body of feedback that CYA will ultimately present to the SPCA, the government and the public.
Those who came together to create CYA recognize the critical need for the agency that was originally formed to protect our animals, and we want to protect it from the kind of self-serving bureaucracy that can creep into any well-funded body after many decades of operation. We have
presented a carefully thought-out solution to the problem of accountability – an ombudsman. The CYA web site includes information about ombudsmen, their function, and details for the design of an ombudsman’s office for the SPCA. One of our questionnaires asks your opinions on all facets of this.
Ultimately, the forum CYA has created belongs to the public; CYA will not be orchestrating any outcome; we will be waiting for responses that show what people want. This is what makes it new. This is what makes it viable. We believe that people who visit the web site will be people who have the best interests of animals at heart and we want to hear from you. When we have as many responses as we can get, we will collate the information into a report that will be made public and delivered to the SPCA and to the provincial government. We believe in the power of public opinion.
We want this society to work for the animals. We know you do too. We created the website to help us all express that. Please visit
http://www.cyabc.ca and make your voice heard.
Cut and paste into your emails the "questionaires and membership forms" section of the website and email them to: cyawebsite
If you are interested in linking to our site: Please email a brief description of your organization, your web address, email address and phone # to: cyawebsite
Please take a look at our message board. The link for it is on the main page of our site.
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BCSPCA accountability issues
