Are BC'ers with pets and animals really that bad?

Did you know that folks in British Columbia who share their homes with furry, scaled, or feathered friends actually face the highest rates of home and property invasions related to animal enforcement across Canada?

And that is despite the most recent provincial crime statistics report released by the Province which records that from a total of 393,928 Criminal Code offenses in 2023 only 21 offenses were related to animal cruelty. That’s just 0.005% of all offenses and over half of the population have pets and animals!

That is to say that the over 2,800.000 (estimated to be nearly three million people with pets in British Columbia) and the rest of the population are hounded by animal enforcement costs of over 160 municipalities policing, the BC SPCA , the RCMP, the Surrey Police Services (SPS), the Ministry Of Agriculture (wants more in the budget for animal enforcement), the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, the Tribunal and the Courts. The duplication and overlapping of animal enforcement is not even financially feasible.

It raises an important question: Why is the Province paying hundreds of millions of tax payers dollars for over-policing people with pets?

A spokesperson for the BC SPGA said, "The reality is that people with pets in BC are subjected to an overwhelming level of scrutiny and policing at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to tax payers."

It is mind boggling

With so many offenses recorded and so few related to animal cruelty offenses, does it really take all of the municipalities policing, the BC SPCA, the RCMP, the SPS, the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, the Ministry Of Agriculture, the appeals Farm Tribunal and the Courts at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars to police people in our Province with pets? The overlapping and duplication of policing is not necessary nor financially sustainable.

A complete overhaul is in order

The BC SPGA wants to see cuts to animal policing thereby freeing up millions of dollars for other necessary programs such as child care and health care which should also include the low cost proposed BC Pet Bonus and Pet Tax Credit.

A spokesperson for the BC SPGA said, "British Columbians are known for their compassion towards animals and provincial crime statistics prove that."

Private and public charities need to devote all of their profits and public donation income to animals and those who care for them. A spokesperson for the BC SPGA said that, "Private charity policing is unnecessary and costly. In times where money is endless perhaps we can afford the luxury of using millions of dollars each year on private charity policing however those times are not reflective of the present or the foreseeable future. Nor, if we look at the criminal code offenses provincial statistics can we continue to justify the enormous expense to people who are struggling with rising costs and affordable housing in our Province."

The solution is simple.

In Ontario, animal enforcement has been turned over from the SPCA to the provincial government which in itself leads to accountability and transparency. The Ontario government has well-trained inspectors who conduct investigations. The aim is to keep wanted animals with their families and loved ones.

British Columbia would benefit greatly from provincial management in cooperation and liaison with the existing municipalities policing for similar reasons of accountability and transparency, and minimal yet well spent costs. The costs to the public with several provincial ministries, municipalities, the RCMP and the BC SPCA overseeing and duplicating animal enforcement services is astronomical in the many hundreds of millions.

The Minister Of Financing has increased the fiscal budget resulting in a predicted 10 Billion deficit, the highest ever in British Columbia. A spokesperson for the BC SPGA said that, "Cutting costs should not be overlooked where needed and necessary. The over-policing of people with pets at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars just doesn't justify 0.005% of people with pets and animals criminal code offenses in view of the fact that over half of the province's population have pets and animals."

Proposal for change in BC's Animal Enforcemennt

The BC SPGA proposes that animal enforcement is provincially managed in liaison and cooperation with the 161 municipalities policing.

A spokesperson for the BC SPGA said that "There is certainly a continued need of oversight by animal enforcement. The cost to the public for animal enforcement should be minimal with maximum efficiency. People who have pets in BC are struggling with huge costs above and beyond the rest of the public. The time has come to consider the needs of people with pets and the most efficient use of public funds for animal policing which is currently scattered among several stakeholders at hundreds of millions of dollars of expense rather than a central administration managed provincially with the full cooperation of existing municipalities policing."