Thursday, January 23, 2020

Vice-chair for animal welfare body named

Maureen Helt of Toronto has been appointed a vice-chair of the Animal Care Review Board which oversees the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA).

It’s not clear whether the review board will be handling complaints by farmers under the new regime for inspecting farms.

The office of Ontario's Solicitor General took over after the province changed the system in response to the OSPCA announcement that it would no longer enforce regulations relating to farmed animals.  Inspections are to be handled by staff from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The review board normally provides a brief biography for its members, but there is none for Helt on its website. Her appointment is for this year and next.