You need to cook while the water is boiling!

Spurred on by their success last week at shutting down the Prince Rupert SPCA's crab boil fundraiser, animal rights activists are keeping up the heat on the various SPCA's across the province.

Sinikka Crosland, who was one of the main organizers of the call to action against the Rupert SPCA's fundraising plans, says its time for the provincial SPCA's to revisit their fundraising policies.

So your beef BBQ's, Salmon bakes, and such are all now on the activist agenda to be shut down, in their world not a nickel nor a dime should come from any form of sale of meat.

We gather that they would most likely suggest that a vegetarian option might make for a more palatable option. Leaves and shoots no doubt make for a wonderful banquet, but somehow I doubt that they'll provide the same kind of fundraising success that your average burger sale might.

The Vancouver Sun had the latest salvo in the great fundraising debate in its Wednesday edition.


Activists want SPCA to stop serving meat at fundraisers
CanWest News Service;
Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, August 23, 2006

VANCOUVER - Energized by their success in Prince Rupert last week, where they convinced the local SPCA to cancel a fundraising event that involved boiling live crabs, animal rights activists now want the B.C. SPCA to ban the serving of meat at their fundraisers.

"This is prime time to ask the SPCA to revisit their own policies to do with fundraisers, and to roll out a new policy that would work towards events that would not involve the killing of animals,'' said Sinikka Crosland, president of the Responsible Animal Care Society, an Okanagan-based animal-protection group.

Crosland, who was instrumental in the campaign against the Prince Rupert crab cookoff, said it was hypocritical of the SPCA to serve meat at fundraisers.

"The SPCA does a lot of good work,'' she said. "However, I think they need to go beyond that. This is not just about dogs and cats; it's about factory farmed animals, too.''

The Canadian Voice for Animals has posted an online petition demanding an end to all SPCA fundraising events that involve the serving and consuming of meat.

Craig Naherniak, general manager of humane education for the B.C. SPCA, said vegetarian choices are often available at SPCA fundraising events, and that branches "are moving in that direction.''

However, he said it was not B.C. SPCA policy to force branches to discontinue cooking and serving meat. That was a matter for individual branches to decide on their own.
Vancouver Sun

© CanWest News Service 2006