Canadian Foundation wins National Award for their support to advance legal protections for animals and to support vulnerable people and animals
OTTAWA, April 8, 2019 /CNW/ - Humane Canada is pleased to announce that the Donner Canadian Foundation has been named the recipient of a 2019 Animal Welfare Leadership and Innovation Award, for its support of strategic policy research and application involving animals and the law.
"Three years ago the Foundation approached us to discuss the work we were doing in the area of Animals and the Law, which is one of our pillars, and has invested in a way that has allowed us to make signifiant progress on the legal framework governing animals but also the link between animal and human abuse" says Barbara Cartwright, CEO at Humane Canada.
The Donner Canadian Foundation was established in 1950 by William H. Donner. In the mid-1960s, the Foundation began to focus on specific program interests, among these, research on public policy.
Since 2016 the Foundation has invested a total of $222,000 in the work of the National Centre for the Prosecution of Animal Cruelty (NCPAC). NCPAC is a community of Crown Prosecutors and allied professionals from across Canada who are working together in the service of the public interest to ensure that crimes against animals are prosecuted effectively and efficiently.
"We have a history of supporting a number of humane societies that provide direct services to animals, such as sheltering. However, we recognized a strategic opportunity in also supporting work to improve public policy & laws around animal cruelty, and that's when we began our relationship with Humane Canada," says Amy Buskirk, Senior Program Officer at the Donner Canadian Foundation.
Thanks to its investment, the first Canadian Violence Link Conference was held in 2017. This was the first time a national conference of this kind had happened in Canada and it brought together 203 professionals from 10 key Canadian sectors that work to prevent and address violence against people or animals. It examined the link between violence against human beings and animals, looking at the vulnerabilities in both populations and how they intersect.
"Humane Canada is proud of the impact this funding is having through NCPAC and the Canadian Violence Coallition and grateful for the strategic support of the Donner Canadian Foundation." concludes Cartwright.
The award will be presented this weekend at the sixth annual National Animal Welfare Conference, hosted at the Bonaventure Hotel in Montréal. This event is the largest and best attended conference of its kind in Canada, bringing together over 375 individuals who work with, care for and advocate for animals.
ABOUT HUMANE CANADA
Humane Canada is the federation of SPCAs and humane societies, driving positive, progressive change to end animal cruelty, improve animal protection and promote the humane treatment of all animals. To learn more about Humane Canada, please visit humanecanada.ca
ABOUT THE ANIMAL WELFARE LEADERSHIP & INNOVATION AWARDS
Humane Canada's Animal Welfare Leadership & Innovation Awards were launched in 2016 as a way to recognize and celebrate those who are making important contributions to animal welfare in Canada. Other Humane Canada award winners this year include: Dr. Charu Chandrasekera, Kevin Strooband of the Lincoln County Humane Society, Zachary's Paws for Healing, Spca de Montréal, Furry Hobos N Hiway Hero's and Dr. Ian Duncan.
SOURCE Humane Canada
Media contact: Natalia Hanson, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Humane Canada, 613-224-8072 ext. 12, [email protected]
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