Mar
30

Newmarket OSPCA Shelter; Management, Staff Unqualified

Protesters outside the Newmarket facility during the supposed ringworm outbreak in May of 2010.

All of you are aware of the 102 animals slaughtered at the Newmarket shelter last year. Shelter officials claimed it was the only way to handle a mass outbreak of ringworm that hit the facility. Ringworm is a treatable condition, however those that run the shelter decided treatment was not an option. They planned to kill the entire animal population of the shelter, but were stopped by public reaction and the intervention of  MPP Frank Klees.

The incident lead one former supporter to look into the goings on at the Newmarket facility. What that person found in their investigation of this facility and the people who run it will shock you, it will anger you, and hopefully it will cause you to seriously look into the choices you make in the next election when you cast your ballot.

The general public is often misguided when it comes to knowledge of what goes on inside a facility like the Newmarket OSPCA shelter. For years the OSPCA has been pulling the heart strings of the public in their quest for funding. They will tell you they are not government funded. That’s a lie, it is a matter of public record that  the federal, municipal and provincial governments fund the shelter on a yearly basis. In 2009 the facility received the following funding; Provincial Government $3,274,190.00, the Municipal Government $2,549,528.00 and the Federal Government $37,939.00, for a total of  $5,861,755.00 in government funding. That is almost six million dollars of the tax payers money, in the hands of people who are not qualified to perform the jobs they were hired to do.

“What do you mean they are not qualified?” you scream in my ear. “They must be qualified, no one would hire anyone who couldn’t do the job!” Unfortunately you would be wrong, that is exactly what they have done. Those in power at the Newmarket shelter have absolutely NO background working with animals! Their qualifications contain no animal related experience prior to their employment with the OSPCA. In fact many of you reading this post are likely more qualified to do the job than those who have been hired for the position.

Kate McDonald

CEO OSPCA Headquarters Newmarket, Ontario 2007 – Present

Salary 2009: $193,081.00 annually

Qualifications: William Mosler Medical Foundation

United Way

Canadian Living Foundation

Juvenile Diabetes Foundation

*Property Services, City of Toronto

*(not confirmed)

Please explain to me how someone who has never worked with animals can be given responsibility for an animal rescue organization? Doesn’t running such a facility require knowledge of animal needs and behavior? If this woman had applied for a job working with animals in the private sector she would never have made it to the interview stage, she simply isn’t qualified.

Jim Sykes

Chief Operating Officer, Newmarket, Ontario 2009 – present

Qualifications:  Hamilton SPCA President & CEO 2004 – 2009 (Please note that Sykes left the Hamilton shelter with an operating deficit of  $400,000.00, and is also responsible for Katrina dogs with heartworm entering Canada)

Hamilton Mohawk College Faculty Member; Urban Politics

YMCA Community Development Co-ordinator

In the public sector do you honestly think this man would have been hired to do the job when it is known that he could not handle a similar position in Hamilton without causing a massive deficit? I think not, yet he was hired to run the Newmarket facility.

Brian Moreau

Provincial Education and Animal Centre Manager August 2010 – present

Qualifications: Owns two cats

Volunteered at 4 non-profit organizations (none animal related)

Owned winery until it was destroyed by fire in 2003

Worked for CN Rail

Yet this is the person hired to handle education of the public? Someone whose only claim to fame when it comes to animals is that he owns two cats? Again many of you reading this are likely more qualified to do the job than the person hired.

The point here folks is simply this, do we as taxpayers wish to sit back and watch our tax dollars mismanaged by unqualified employees paid large salaries for jobs they are incapable of doing because they do not possess the qualifications?

Think on that for today, there is much more to come. In the coming weeks we will discuss the Newmarket shelter, and what needs to be done to see that the facility is run by qualified people with only the animals best interest at heart. We will discuss how the OSPCA as an organization moves workers from facility to facility to cover up any scandal much like the Catholic church moves paedophelic priests from one parish to another to avoid scandal. We will discuss the reasons why the Newmarket SPCA shelter needs a serious overhaul in management. We will tell you what the OSPCA doesn’t want you to know.

Stay tuned…

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE YOU SEEK!

Janette

 

 

March 30, 2011   //   Posts by Viktor   //   14 Comments   //  

14 Comments to “Newmarket OSPCA Shelter; Management, Staff Unqualified”

  • March 30, 2011 at 9:58 am
    Colleen says:

    The fact is, the more I learn, the more frightened I become….You can’t “un learn” something.

    I for one, will be questioning my MP, and any other candidates wether they be federal or provincial on where he stands on Animal Welfare, Animal Cruelty Laws and Enforcement of said laws, before I cast my ballot.

  • March 30, 2011 at 11:32 am
    Katherine Chapman says:

    Great Collen ,that’s what everybody who has an animal in Ontario needs to do ! We need to educate the public.and let them know the OSPCA is NOT about the Animals! Their new ”Learning Centre” is proof of that as well. All that wasted money..

  • March 30, 2011 at 8:07 pm
    Mary Shaw says:

    There have been many upheavals at Newmarket since last year’s ringworm debacle. Most important has been the highly qualified veterinary staff who are now responsible for all the animals, complete clean out of old unqualified caretakers, better training for volunteers, and very qualified and highly experienced Director of Animal Care. Whatever mistakes were made in the past can’t be undone, but we can expect they won’t happen again. It is essential that donations keep coming to care for the animals in the best possible way. Those of you who follow sheltervet.org and other shelter care sites know that there are many many good things starting to happen, not the least of which is the spreading of Nathan Winograd’s No Kill Nation philosophy. This is being spearheaded by many caring veterinary professionals, as well as others. Also needing your support is the new Board of the Toronto Humane Society. The former adminstration’s mistakes cannot be allowed to happen again. When you stop donating, stop volunteering, stop supporting, the animals suffer. Big organizations need money to run. Shelters cannot run on volunteer or cheap labour if you want the animals to receive the best care. The AGM is coming up. You need to let THS know that you still care about what happens there and will support them.

    • March 30, 2011 at 9:12 pm
      Janette Hamilton says:

      I am really not sure what the THS has to do with this posting. The Newmarket SPCA shelter will not receive my support until they hire staff that is qualified to run the shelter. Donating to an agency that is misappropriating funds, and has staff unqualified to do the jobs they pay them the big bucks for does not help animals. What exactly is it you are trying to say here Mary?

    • March 31, 2011 at 10:09 pm
      Lynn says:

      Excuse me Mary but just how do you know this information about OSPCA. There has been no qualified staff hired since the ringworm debacle. The “highly qualified and highly experienced Director of Animal Care” is a retired vet who among other things worked at Disneyworld in Florida. I guess you figure looking after Pluto and Mickey Mouse falls into the experienced category. The new manager of the educational facility is an expert in wine. There are no volunteers who have been called back. Not one of all the volunteers who put years of work and dedication into OSPCA were called back so who are the new volunteers and where did they come from. If you say the caretakers have been replaced, that might be the case since you say if they were unqualified why were they there in the first place. One more piece of support showing how unqualified the management. They can’t even even hire good care takers. As of right now there is not one veterinarian on staff, except for the spay/neuter clinic who have nothing to do with shelter animals. So just where are you getting your information. I would be interested in knowing. Please be specific in order to lend credibility to your response. As for spreading the no-kill advocacy you are right. That is happening but it hasn’t reached OSPCA and has nothing to do with this particular posting so why even bring it into the discussion. Additionally revenues for 2009 OSPCA Newmarket was in excess of $25 Million dollars and they still couldn’t get it right! Donate to OSPCA. I think not.

      • April 4, 2011 at 8:03 am
        Mary Shaw says:

        I am truly saddened that there is so much misinformation out there. Animals deserve our best efforts. And we owe it to them to be sure of our facts. So many of the things that are stated in the above comments are untrue. I have no idea how to begin correcting that misinformation. I do know that once someone’s ire is up, it is hard to derail that momentum.

        The reason I posted about THS and Newmarket is to point out that the ability of these organizations to care for animals is directly impacted by the negative publicity. Is this what we want? I think we want responsible people running our organizations and their divisions.. OSPCA in Newmarket is not just one entitity. Kate McDonald is CEO of the non-profit corporation, with province wide responsibilities.. She is a highly experienced CEO. Someone who merely likes animals might not have the ability to manage a large non-profit corporation. That part is separate from the shelter.

        We want experiened veterinary professionals taking care of the animals. The chief veterinarian who is now employed as the shelter vet has made shelter medicine her career. Her credentials are impeccable. I know that because I have worked with her in the past. Shelter work has also been my calling.

        The ringworm debacle was just exactly that, and thanks to the alerts from caring people, it was stopped and all the people directly involved are gone, either quitting or being terminated.. While we might wish to see some changes in administration, that is for the members of OSPCA to decide. Unfortunately, if you are not a member, you have no say. You can’t petition the board to make those changes. I see several issues here. OSPCA has powers of law that you think it should not have. I may actually agree with you on that. How we bring that about should not influence how we feel about animals under their care. They deserve the best that can be provided, and that comes from financial support, including donations, fundraisings, and dedicated, experienced staff. There are not enough shelters, and not enough room in all the ones that we do have, for all the animals that need help. There are not enough people like Janette and many others in Let;s Adopt, who take in almost everything that comes across their path. And there are far too many animals being killed in shelters all across Ontario, every day. What happened at Newmarket last year, happens in many shelters and humane societies all over the province in every city. Most of them are much less transparent than the York Region shelter was. I would like us all to focus on the shelters and pounds in our areas and ask these tough questions. But I beg you to be sure of your facts and let nothing stand in the way of truly helping the animals.

        As for the doctor from Disneyland, I have no idea of whom you speak. The chief veterinarian is someone I know personally and she is a highly qualified shelter medicine veterinarian..

        • April 4, 2011 at 8:34 am
          Janette Hamilton says:

          A) No one is saying the job should be given to someone who “merely likes animals” grow up! We are saying that if you are going to be the CEO of an animal related organization, then you best be qualified to do so, that means that legitimate work with animals should be part of your background experience. YOU Ms. Shaw are obviously connected to the Newmarket shelter in some manner. You are trying to spin this post to the OSPCA’s advantage.

          B) You are trying to accuse me of fabricating what is a matter of public record. Every fact in the above posting IS truth, as provided by our government and by the OSPCA themselves in documents that once filed are then a matter of public record BECAUSE the OSPCA is a CHARITY organization and as such is accountable to the general public. You are right about one thing though, we want RESPONSIBLE, QUALIFIED people running this and any other OSPCA shelter. Unfortunately that isn’t what we have at present, as the facts will support. The OSPCA’s time of being able to spin their screwups and hide them from the eyes of the public is over.

          You are right the animals in the care of the OSPCA do deserve the best care, and when they start getting it, citizens will be satisfied. Oh and by the way, do not tell me that unless I am paying the salary of those in question by donating to the organization, that I have no say in what goes on, I am a CITIZEN of this province, and if at any time I feel ANY charity organization is not what it should be I have the right to take action. The board of the OSPCA answers to the powers that be same as every other non-profit out there, they are not above the scrutiny of citizens.

          Now as for making statements when you do not have the facts, Let’s Adopt does not take in everything we come across, we take in EVERY animal that needs us. THAT is our mandate, and we do it without benefit of millions in tax payers money, and we do not slaughter animals needlessly, all our rehabilitated and rehomed successfully. So Ms. Shaw perhaps it is YOU who should not speak out unless you have the facts! Or will you now be telling ME that I do not have the facts about Let’s Adopt Canada? Before you answer that question, think about WHO you are talking to.

  • April 4, 2011 at 3:02 pm
    Lynn says:

    It is apparent Mary that you believe what you are saying. That is truly sad and no one can make you believe the truth if you choose not to. Here are a couple of truths you may want to consider. Even if you are a member of OSPCA, you can not decide on any issues. Members of OSPCA do not have voting rights. All they can do is listen at meetings and serve to make the organization look legitimate. They have no input. Kate MacDonald is not a highly experienced CEO. She was a fund raiser before coming to OSPCA. That’s all. One person is gone as a result of the ringworm debacle and that was because she was used as a scapegoat to cover up for others misdirected, ill conceived decisions. Did you know there was no “virulent strain” of ringworm?
    It is a shame to see passionate people like you endocrinated with the OSPCA philosophy. You bought their spin which is the one thing OSPCA is good at – SPIN!

  • April 4, 2011 at 9:58 pm
    Mary Shaw says:

    I would like to address this to Janette, and to others who seem to have a personal bias towards me. As far as I know, I have never met any of you. That said, let me tell you my background. Hear this gently because I am just trying to clarify things, not attack, sling mud or anything else. My “connection” to OSPCA is only this: I was hired as one of the first technicians in the spay neuter clinic in Newmarket. As such, I had nothing to do with the shelter, the provincial offices, or any programs or any volunteers, unless they volunteered in our clinic .I am, in no way, on any side in this discussion, other than that of the animals. I left the OSPCA employment after less than a year, because my home and my family, and my animals were in Kingston. I had taken the job at Newmarket because I was highly experienced in high volume spay neuter surgeries such as those done by the Humane Alliance. I remain committed to that model. I have my own opinion and thoughts about what has gone on at OSPCA and THS, but can only speak on the things that I know, from personal experience. I do not know who this retired veterinarian from Disneyworld is. It is not the person who is the shelter veterinarian. I know that for fact. The individuals who, through misjudgement, arrogance, or whatever, gave bad advice and recommended euthanasia for ringworm are gone. I know that. I know that the former veterinarian left, not because she ordered the euthanasias, but because it was assumed that she had. The poorly educated, poorly trained staff who were caring for animals at York Region and ignoring standard operating procedures and protocols are gone. I know that. I can not speak to volunteers because the only ones I know were at the spay neuter clinic and they are still there, or have left for other personal reasons. I know that for fact.

    There is still a need for a shelter. My personal belief is that no healthy animal should be killed for lack of room. No animal who is ill with a treatable condition should be killed. Animals who suffer from painful, chronic, terminal conditions need to be looked at on a case by case basis to determine quality of life. Life for life’s sake allows for animals to languish for years in cages,. unadoptable and miserable. Chronic kidney and liver disease leave animals feeling ill and cats especially, as predators, tend to hide this vulnerability. It may surprise some people that pain and suffering in predators must be assessed objectively according to a scale because one cannot just look at such an animal and say that it is not in pain or difficulty. Every veterinary and technician conference has at least one session on assessment methods of pain and distress because it cannot be made subjectively. That said, many more animals with chronic, but treatable conditions, such as diabetes, could be saved. However, people who adopt from shelters are often very unwilling to take on a chronically ill pet. Should that animal live out its life in a 8 cubic foot shell? How long would be reasonable? How long before the animal suffers from depression from its confinement? How is that humane? Would networks of foster homes take those animals in, cover the costs of their treatments and give them regular veterinary care? If so, why do they not let shelter vets know that these homes are available? If they want the shelter to provide the meds and supples, where would the money come from?

    I am a veterinary technician and I know how to care for animals in a shelter. I do, indeed, know that ringworm is highly treatable. Sometimes, it can be very expensive to treat, but it is always treatable. In shelter animals, the stress of being there sometimes depresses their immune system, making the ringworm run a bit more rampant than it might, and allowing for secondary skin infections from bacterial pathogens. These two can be treated, again adding to the expense. Sometimes the animals are suffering through this process. How do you decide how much suffering and how long is acceptable while treatment is given? At what point should the decision be made? Do you want to have input into that decision? How would you do that? I am not challenging anyone with these questions. I am just stating what has to be considered by the shelter manager and the chief veterinarian. Do you know what budget York Region shelter has and how they have to allocate the funds? I know the process but I don`t know the specifics. I merely put this in the post to shed light on the discussion.

    I have older and chronically ill animals of my own. My diabetic dog costs $200 a month in meds, needles and special food. I feed prescription food to a senior cat for potential kidney problems. It is expensive. They are in a home, and not in a cage or kennel. I would take in more if I had the money and the space. From where I sit, we are on the same page. I am not defending OSPCA, THS or any other organization. I am merely stating what I know to be true from personal experience. As for what you find on public record, I am not questioning that, except if it contradicts what I know to be true from personal knowledge. As you point out, charities are responsible for transparency. The office of the Public Guardian is there to make sure of that. However, the rules for the operation of charitable non-profits calls for the members to vote and the boards to respond. If boards fail to respond in the manner the members wish, the members can vote them out. Only if the organization ultimately proves to be derelict, can the office of the Public Guardian intervene, and we are awaiting that determination at this time, in the results of the report on last year’s tragic events. I am no more happy about what happened than you are. I do not understand your personal objection to my posts. They do not question your intent, your character, your person or your very admirable cause. They were only made to add to the dialogue because I believe my personal knowledge, in limited areas, might illuminate the discussion a bit. I did not object to the protests at York. I did object to the personal attacks and death threats on my friends in the spay/neuter clinic. I object to the damage to their vehicles by vandals. I object to the loss of funds which puts animals in York Region in peril. If York does not re-open, other shelters will not be able to make room. When there is no room , animals are euthanized to make room. It is my personal committment to work towards the end of that cycle. I think that is yours as well. unless I grossly misunderstand you. Whoever is working as the manager, technicians, and kennel attendants at York Region are subject to the Chief Veterinarian. That is the law, according to the Veterinarians Act and the supporting regulation, which supersede anyting in the OSPCA Act or its successor.. The Chief Veterinarian is not in any way responsible to any person or Board in the matter of the medical issues surrounding the animals. I have complete and utter confidence in the new Chief Veterinarian. Your blog makes some strong arguments for reform and I completely support that position. I hope that you will find the time to explain your strong feelings against me personally, as I am at a loss to understand them. You can private message me on FB if you wish, and I will be happy to read your comments in the spirit of understanding.

    • April 5, 2011 at 8:39 am
      Janette Hamilton says:

      No one has a bias towards you we just do not like to see good people snowed by spin. I know you THINK you have first hand knowledge, but what we have is DOCUMENTED matters of public record that tell the true story. Perhaps you should stop being a sheep following the flock, look at the situation without your rose colored glasses and realize your wonderful shelter isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. If you are so sure that what we have to say is erroneous then why don’t you admit that you work at the Newmarket shelter? Or are you ashamed to be associated with it?

    • April 5, 2011 at 9:03 am
      Lynn says:

      I am not sure how you garnered this thread to be a personal attack on you. Disagreeing with you does not amount to attacking your personally. I am giving up on this conversation because it is not achieving anything since it is obvious no matter what proof you are given you will not sway. I suspect that is because OSPCA is paying your salary. No one remotely concerned about animal welfare denies the need for OSPCA. As long as there are irresponsible pet owners, we need OSPCA. What we don’t need is the management of OSPCA. I am not sure what you don’t understand about that. You can not name one decision maker who has left and been replaced because the same management are still in office. As with policing powers, OSPCA has special privileges and members do not get to vote. You really do need to look beyond your present mindset and expand it a little to let the truth come in.

  • April 5, 2011 at 12:31 pm
    Mary Shaw says:

    I am sorry that this conversation has taken such a turn, because I think we all want the same thing for animals in the end. Your responses to my posts were harsh in tone, as if you yourselves expect everyone to swallow whole what you have said, and you brook no difference of opinion. Before you go off again about your facts and your truths, I can assure you that the fact you insist I work for OSPCA or in the shelter are false and you will have no proof otherwise because it does not exist. I know that there is veterinarian in the shelter who is not the spay/neuter vet because I met her there for lunch. As for this imaginary Disneyland vet you keep making reference too, I have not seen your proof that this person exists, and as a Let’s Adopt member, I think that your credibility suffers if you don’t post those sources so the rest of us can go see them. The falsehoods I see in your blogging make me think twice before believing anything you say. Having spent most of 60 years in service to animals, I can assure you that the credibility issue marks the line between serious animal welfare workers and the whack-job crazies. The truth is not on the side of the crazies. I, for one, won’t support your positions until you post your sources of “facts”. If you want me to believe in the dIsney doc, if you want to permanently discredit me as an OSPCA plant, prove it. Otherwise, no one can take your seriously.

    • April 5, 2011 at 12:42 pm
      Janette Hamilton says:

      The only reason that I can not prove you work at the Newmarket facility is that this morning you changed your linked in profile. Up until then it stated outright that you are a tech at the Newmarket Facility. Hmmm, since I am not the only one who viewed it I know this to be true, why the change?

      Get YOUR facts straight I am not the one who mentioned any “Disneyland Vet”

      Another thing, try reading more than one post, I don’t release everything at once, no one has time to read the book that it would take to tell you everything that is wrong with the Newmarket facility over their morning coffee. You may be a Let’s Adopt Member, but that does not mean you dictate what position Let’s Adopt Canada will take on any subject matter, nor will you dictate how I release the information given to me. As for my revealing my sources, I will do so if and when I need to and not because someone with a difference of opinion throws a temper tantrum. If those sources wish to remain nameless and all information posted herein has been verified I am within my rights to write about it. My reference material is a matter of public record as I have mentioned already, therefore I am not required to provide you with what any fool is capable of finding for themselves. Unless you are planning on bringing suit against me to force me to reveal my sources I suggest you learn to leave well enough alone. As for your membership in Let’s Adopt, perhaps if you disagree with our position on the SPCA in Canada you should find a group you are better suited to. Let’s Adopt will continue to seek reform within the SPCA, be it the Newmarket facility, or any other facility whose practices are called into question by Canadians. I thank you for your input, but I feel you have had your say, and further posts of this nature will not be acknowledged.

  • April 6, 2011 at 6:52 am
    Sandra says:

    Mary speak to Dave Wilson. He is not imaginery and you will find he worked at Disneyland. If you don’t know who Dave Wilson is then you really don’t know what you are talking about and are foolish to have wasted your time arguing an issue which clearly you know nothing

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