President’s Reports

At our meeting last April, I expressed my concern of the unknown operational and financial repercussions animal welfare charities could experience as a result of the pandemic. Fortunately, it appears most of these concerns did not materialize. Some experts have even suggested the pandemic may have increased support for the humane movement in general as it highlighted the interconnectedness of animal and human health and well-being.

It is thus with humble gratitude I can report the AWFC has experienced an increase in the number of donors and donation revenues this past year to help us fulfill our mission.

As a public foundation, the AWFC raises and invests donor funds in order to support worthy animal charities and projects across the country each and every year. Our grant program accounts for 2/3 of our expense budget, allowing us to award $40k in grants in most years. For 2021, we received proposals from 17 organizations and awarded $37,360 in grants to the following 6 organizations:
• $10,000 to the Toronto Humane Society
• $9,430 to Sierra Club Atlantic
• $8,000 to the Vancouver Humane Society
• $5,000 to the Langley Animal Protection Society
• $3,880 to Le Nichoir Wild Bird Conservation Centre
• $1,050 to Humane Canada

Project summaries for each of the grants can be found on the awfc.ca website.

Due to pandemic school closures, we did not receive any applications this past year to fund university animal welfare clubs, campus public lectures or the Minshall award. These funds will be reinvested and directed to future programs. We did however provide a small grant through the Carol Morgan Memorial Award to Dr. Laurie McDuffee to study the science behind the human-animal bond.

Thank you to the members of our Grant committee for the many hours they spent diligently reviewing the applications. The work of the Grant Committee is the most important role we perform. It is through this process that the AWFC can assure animal lovers that their donations will be allocated to credible, effective projects that will deliver measurable positive outcomes for animals. It is the reason the AWFC exists, and we hope our supporters are pleased with the decisions we’ve made on their behalf.

Speaking of our supporters, although on an absolute basis our one-time and monthly donations are still small in comparison to many other charities, growth relative to previous years’ donations has been amazing. We are also seeing continued growth in Q1 of 2021.

I also want to acknowledge many of the past and present AWFC Directors who donated to the AWFC this year. As Directors, we already volunteer so much of our time and expertise to running and maintaining the AWFC that your collective financial contributions were an added bonus!

In the summer, we were fortunate to receive a generous bequest from the Estate of Don Reid, who passed away in March 2019. I’d like to extend heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Reid’s family and friends for choosing the AWFC on his behalf. As with all bequest gifts, these funds are added to our Legacy and Capital Fund endowment to be invested in order to generate further income for future grants.

Thank you to all our donors who so graciously help animals and support the humane movement across Canada through their contributions to the AWFC.

In terms of our financials, investment income from our endowment performed well this past year, despite the pandemic, generating a surplus of $120k ($60k over what was budgeted). This income accounts for the majority of all AWFC annual revenues and is thus critical to supporting our grant program while we continue to grow our donor base.

I’d like to recognize our Finance Committee for its wise oversight of our revenues, expenses and invested assets. Thanks to the growth in donor contributions, solid investment returns, fewer university-related grants awarded and maintaining low operating costs, the AWFC currently finds itself in a good financial position. So long as there are no major economic downturns post-pandemic, we hope to use some of this year’s surplus to increase the grant funds available in 2022 and beyond to support either more animal charities or provide larger grants to even more impactful projects.

More specifically, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to John Andrew who joined the Board as Treasurer in 2015. His continued commitment to the role these past 6 years will provide the consistency, stability and historical background to support the new Board and keep the organization running smoothly and efficiently.

I also want to acknowledge the very busy members of the Communications and Fundraising (C&F) Committees who invested much time in communicating and advertising our work to animal charities and the public. Many updates and improvements were made to our website and we experienced a significant increase in viewership this past year. An overhaul of our aging website is planned for this coming year to eliminate its technical limitations. Bi-monthly Facebook posts and ads attracted 900 new followers to our page, now totalling close to 4k followers. Marketing efforts also included a bequest brochure mailing to current and prospective donors and planned gift advisors, and advertising and article placement in print and online magazines and donor guides.

Thank you as well to our Visioning Committee for staying on top of the latest public opinion polls and animal welfare research findings. This effort ensures the AWFC’s goals remain relevant with, if not ahead of, changing societal values and attitudes about animal welfare.

I also want to thank our Board Secretary for her role in managing our email inbox inquiries, coordinating grant applications and for recording our meeting minutes.

Finally, as with every AGM, it is time to welcome new members to the Board as other directors prepare to leave. I am grateful to the Nominations Committee for doing such a fabulous job in identifying and recruiting 4 new candidates to the Board this year. I am thrilled with the diverse backgrounds and incredible experience they each bring to our organization. I look forward to seeing where the new Board takes the organization in the years to come.

Sadly, however, this means we must say goodbye to several people whose board terms have now come to an end: Jackie Wepruk, Nicolas Devillers and Cathy Dixon. Jackie, Nicolas and Cathy, I want to thank you sincerely for the time, knowledge and perspectives you have all contributed to the various committees on which you have served. We will miss your input and I wish you all well in your personal and professional endeavours.

As for me, it is with mixed emotions that I too must say goodbye after more than 8 years on the Board. I have been with the AWFC since 2013 (3 years as Board Secretary, 1 year as VP and 4 years as President). The work has been rewarding and I have valued greatly the opportunity to work with and learn from so many esteemed colleagues who share in our common goals and compassion for animals.

Of course it would be much more difficult to say goodbye if it wasn’t for the complete confidence I have in the new Board and, in particular, our VP Amy Morris, who will be taking over as President at the close of this AGM. I know I am leaving the Board in very capable hands.

The AWFC has been going strong since 1965 thanks to the generosity of our donors and the incredible calibre of people we continue to attract to the Board. When I look back at the various grants we’ve given over the years, I know our collective support of animal charities and projects across the country has made a real impact in the lives of animals. I care deeply about the mission of this organization and it has been an honour and privilege to serve on the Board. I am proud of how we’ve grown and the many changes we’ve incorporated to ensure the organization’s future success. I trust the original founders would be proud.

Leanne McConnachie
AWFC President, 2018-2021

It seems a bit disingenuous to report on progress for animals this past year when yet another zoonotic disease has emerged, reminding us of how closely the well-being of humans is tied to the well-being of animals. Fortunately, human ingenuity rises to the occasion in times of crisis. We become more informed and creative, giving us a chance to reset and transform the generally accepted ways of doing things. We can only hope this tragedy will serve as an opportunity for important lessons to be learned and implemented. I am optimistic a renewed emphasis will be placed on the health and welfare of domestic, farmed and wild animals around the globe, and new policies and standards will be put into practice.

The AWFC will no doubt feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple areas. I expect donations to decrease this year, and probably the next, as individuals and corporations impacted by economic losses are less able to donate. Our investment income may also be down, which could affect our grant program. In addition, many of the organizations we funded in the past could be financially strained, perhaps relying on us for more funding in the coming year. The cost and operational pressures on animal welfare organizations (AWOs) could be significant.

However, in such a scenario, we have nowhere to go but up, even if it may take longer than we hope. So, on that positive note, I’d like to highlight some of the AWFC’s activities and outcomes this past year.

In 2019, we saw a small increase in online donations from individual donors, and continued support from organized giving platforms such as the United Way and Benevity. We also received the final distribution from a generous estate bequest. We are truly grateful to the donor and her family, who requested anonymity. These funds will help bolster our grant-giving program this year and in years to come.

I so appreciate the incredible work our Grant Committee conducts in reviewing and recommending the projects they feel are most deserving of our funding. This past year, we received grant proposals from 20 AWOs for a combined request of over $110k in funding. Of those, eight were shortlisted and the following five were awarded funds:

• Humane Canada received $8k to develop a strategy for a shared, national humane education platform;
• Rabbitats received a grant of $6k to create a prototype of a semi-portable enclosure to house, trap and sterilize feral rabbits as a means of population management. The prototype is low-cost and low-maintenance and, if successful, will be shared with other communities;
• The Toronto Wildlife Centre received a $5k grant to develop an action-oriented manual for school children offering preventative solutions to common wildlife issues;
• A grant of $5k went to the Peterborough Humane Society to develop educational materials and a safe-haven locator tool to ensure pets from families fleeing domestic violence have a place to go; and
• PAWS 4 Hope Foundation received a grant of $5000 to conduct a statistical analysis of data collected on street youth who take care of pets. The report will be publically available, with the intent to improve the policies and programs of organizations that provide care to humans and animals.

We also provided $6900 to four student animal welfare clubs at Canadian universities this year: The Ontario Veterinary College, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, the Atlantic Veterinary College and the Pre-Vet Club and Animal Welfare Program at UBC. Our funding allows students to host and learn from lectures, workshops and conferences that address animal welfare topics outside of their regular curriculum programming.

Two of our travel bursaries ($500 each) and the Carol Morgan Memorial Award ($1500) were intended to help recipients attend Humane Canada’s National Animal Welfare Conference in Victoria at the end of March. The pandemic resulted in the conference being delivered online instead, so the funds will be recalled and used in next year’s grant cycle.

COVID-19 also led to the early closure of universities, and thus only one application was received for the $500 Minshall Award. However, both UBC and our Grant Committee determined that the applicant’s project did not quite fit the Award’s eligibility criteria, thus the Minshall award will not be granted this year.

Looking ahead to the future, our Fundraising Committee has been working on several initiatives to develop relationships with current and potential supporters. Concurrently, the Communications Committee has invested time in boosting our social media presence (now over 3300 followers) and in vastly improving the navigation, flow and content of our website. A special thank you to Karin Rego of Writeous Communications and Renato Goldoni of WebiWebi+ who generously gave their expertise and time to help with the overhaul of the website. We hope these measures will better showcase our work to donors and sponsors.

Our Finance Committee moved our investment funds to an investment counsel firm this year, away from a brokerage firm. This provides us with greater expertise and lower management fees and trading commissions. In retrospect, this has been a particularly wise move given current market conditions.

Unfortunately, we have to say goodbye to several trustees whose directorships have come to an end. Leaving us will be Lee Niel and Norm Willis, who have been with the AWFC since 2013 and 2014 respectively. As well, one of our newer members, Sophie Gaillard, will be stepping down from the Board to enjoy maternity leave. I have so enjoyed working with the three of you and I know I speak for the rest of the trustees when I say that you and your contributions will be missed.

Thankfully, our Nomination Committee diligently secured 4 new trustees to fill their vacancies this coming year, and has identified others for consideration in subsequent years. We look forward to welcoming them to the Board. We will be drawing upon everyone’s creativity as we seek fresh ideas on how to best use the AWFC’s capital to support animal welfare charities and the animals they protect in this time of uncertainty.

A special thank you goes to our Treasurer and our Secretary for keeping on top of the day-to-day operations and ensuring the Foundation’s finances are in good order. Your commitment is invaluable.

Once again, my sincere gratitude to our donors and to each and every one of my fellow board members who have so generously invested their time and knowledge. Your professionalism, compassion for animals, and dedication to the AWFC is truly appreciated. I wish all of you and your families’ safe and healthy days ahead.

– Leanne McConnachie, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, May 2020

Another busy year has passed and, as always, I am so grateful to so many who have contributed their time, knowledge and money to advancing animal welfare within Canada.

Our individual donor base, while still relatively small, continues to grow as news of our work is spread through traditional and social media. This year I am particularly appreciative of a generous bequest we received from the Estate of Hilda Crawley. We are also thankful to the corporate donation and gift matching programs from Telus, Hydro One and a variety of United Way communities. Our donors’ generosity helps the AWFC fund the incredible work of individuals, student clubs and animal welfare organizations working to improve the lives of animals.

In 2018, 24 animal welfare organizations submitted grant applications for the 2019 year. The Grant Committee shortlisted 7 of those applications, selecting 4 projects for approval by the Board. We awarded just over $21,300 in grant funding to protect wildlife (Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation), laboratory animals (Animals in Science Policy Institute), and companion animals (Paws for Hope Foundation and Ottawa Humane Society). Details of the projects are listed in the “past recipients” section on the awfc.ca website: https://awfc.ca/grants/animal-welfare-organizations/past-grant-recipients/

In addition, we funded 2 travel bursaries of $500 each to help the PEI Humane Society and the Paws and Purr Cat Café in Thunder Bay send a representative to the annual Humane Canada conference, which takes place this April in Montreal. A $2k grant was also provided to the University of BC’s Animal Welfare Program to host a panel discussion this April on the future of Animal Welfare in Canada from the perspective of new scientists.

We were pleased to grant the 2nd Carol Morgan Memorial Award. The successful applicant was veterinarian Dr. Holly Tillotson from the Pacific Rim Veterinary Hospital in Port Alberni, BC. Dr. Tillotson will use her $1500 grant to further her studies in forensic science in order to assist in the investigation of crimes against animals.

We also continue to foster Canada’s future leaders in animal welfare by funding extra-curricular animal welfare studies and events at Canadian universities. This included $6870 in funding for 4 animal welfare clubs from the universities of Guelph, BC, the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Atlantic Veterinary College.

Of course none of this would be possible without the devotion of our Grant Committee members – Norm, Lee, Jackie, and Sophie. Managing the grant application review and selection process over a 3-month window is a tremendous amount of work. I applaud your dedication and commitment. Nicolas, this was your first year with the Foundation and we look forward to your input and expertise on the committee going forward.

I would also like to thank those who contribute to the Communications Committee who keep our website and Facebook presence updated and relevant to our supporters. Amy, you have taken our social media presence to a whole new level and I have so appreciated your additional support with the website. Our Visioning Committee has not had a great deal of work this year thanks to the significant efforts put in last year, but nonetheless, Norm continues to ensure our mandate is clear and authentic. Thank you to Cathy for joining our Fundraising Committee. You have brought forward creative ideas and new opportunities for the Foundation. Lee, thank you for the work you do chairing the Nominations Committee and securing the expertise our Board needs to uphold and build on our mandate. John, you continue to do an amazing job keeping our finances on track and on budget, as always. We are indebted to your service. Finally, another thank you to Amy for doing an incredible job as Board Secretary. I know how much work is involved with essentially running the business of the Foundation. On behalf of everyone on the Board, may I say how deeply grateful we all are.

I am happy to report that this is one of the first AGMs in a long time where we don’t have to say goodbye to any members of our current Board. We all contribute in different ways, bringing different talents and perspectives to the table, enabling the Foundation to evolve and grow. In closing, I wish to reiterate my sincere gratitude for the time and expertise that each and every one of our Board members has contributed. I look forward to another year of new possibilities.

– Leanne McConnachie, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, May 2019

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Another busy year has passed, and much has been accomplished, thanks to the support of our donors, supporters, grant recipients and board members.

We are grateful to our relatively small group of monthly and one-time individual donors, and to those anonymous donors who support us through the United Way or their employer’s corporate donation and gift-matching programs. Thank you to our supporters from Ontario’s Hydro One, Telus, IBM and the United Ways of Victoria, Alberta, Winnipeg, Northeast Ontario, Prescott-Russell, Ottawa, Lanark & Renfrew Counties, Peel Region, Sudbury and Nipissing Districts.

We are fortunate to occasionally benefit from donations from other foundations and from wills and estate gifts. These larger gifts greatly enhance our capital fund, which is fully invested to ensure we continue to generate cash flow and dividends to pay for immediate and future project grants. Thank you to the estate of Lloyd Driscoll and the Gateside Foundation K and V for their generosity this past year.

Of course the core business of our Foundation is to allocate the funds we receive to worthy animal welfare projects across the country. In 2017, we received applications from 20 animal welfare organizations hoping to receive funding in 2018. The Grant Committee shortlisted 10 of those applications, selecting 6 of those projects for approval by the Board. Just over $29k in grants was awarded to protect wildlife (Sierra Club Foundation – Atlantic Chapter, Wolf Aware and National Wildlife Centre), companion animals (Lakes Animal Friendship Society and Saskatchewan SPCA), and farm animals (CFHS). Details of the projects are listed in the “past recipients” section on the awfc.ca website.

In addition, we funded 2 travel bursaries of $500 each to help the Thunder Bay Humane Society and the Lac La Biche Regional Humane Society send a representative to the annual CFHS conference, happening this April in Calgary. Funding was also provided to the University of BC’s Animal Welfare Program to host a conference this April commemorating the 20-year anniversary of their successful graduate program in Animal Welfare Science.

We were pleased to be able to grant the inaugural Carol Morgan Memorial Award this year. The successful applicant was Dr. Susi Cienciala from Enderby, BC. Dr. Cienciala will use her $1000 grant to bring the science of how horses learn to veterinary students in Canada.

Finally, we honoured our tradition of funding extra-curricular animal welfare studies and events for students at Canada’s universities. This included $6740 in funding for 6 animal welfare clubs from the universities of PEI, Montreal, Guelph, Saskatchewan, Calgary and BC.

Of course the management of our grant program would not be possible if it weren’t for the incredible dedication of our Board of Directors. I would particularly like to extend a huge thank you to my fellow members on the grant committee. The committee reviews an average of 40 applications between September and November, so the time commitment is considerable and our teleconferences to discuss them are lengthy. I am truly grateful for your contribution of time and expertise to the process.

I would also like to thank those who contribute to the Communications Committee (keeping our website and Facebook presence updated and relevant), our Visioning Committee (relaying how our Foundation continues to have an impact on animal welfare through the projects we fund), and our Fundraising Committee (which was only recently established to look at how we can build our donor base to ensure we can fund worthy projects well into the future).

I would also like to acknowledge the exemplary work of our one-man Finance committee –Treasurer John Andrew. John keeps us on budget and in good shape for the years to come. Your contribution is invaluable.

As with every other AGM, it means we have to say goodbye to one or more of our long-standing board members when their term on the board comes to a close. This year, Renée Bergeron, who joined the Board in 2012, will be leaving us. She has served in the role of VP, President and most recently as our Secretary. Thank you Renée for your commitment to the organization. Fortunately, when someone leaves, we have the opportunity for someone new to join us. In 2017, Sophie Gaillard, a lawyer for the Investigations and Inspections department at the Montreal SPCA, became a trustee and I know we all look forward to her contributions. At the AGM, we will also open up two more spots on the Board, bringing the number of trustees to eight, which will help with managing the workload.

Once again, I’d like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of my esteemed colleagues. Our diverse backgrounds and interests allow for a great exchange of ideas and help to move the organization forward, improving upon operational functions and building for future needs. Thank you for giving so generously of your time and expertise.

– Leanne McConnachie, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, April 2018

The AWFC continues to evolve and many of the good ideas expressed by board members have resulted in positive changes to the way we operate.

This year, the Grant Committee, chaired by Leanne McConnachie, further improved the granting process by staggering the deadlines for grant submissions, and designing a detailed evaluation rubric to help members in their assessment of grant applications. Three proposals were funded in 2017. The objective of the first funded project, by Community Veterinary Outreach, is to assess the health and welfare of pets owned by homeless individuals. The second project, by Wolf Awareness, will conduct field research and provide educational workshops to livestock producers about co-existing with coyotes and wolves through non-lethal management practices. The third project, by the Ottawa Humane Society, will lead to the development of an on-line humane education program. I wish to thank this committee for their diligence in awarding the limited funds available to the most deserving projects.

Traditionally, the AWFC has funded animal welfare clubs at the five veterinary schools across the country. In an effort to support a larger number of student groups and campuses, this year’s invitations were extended to 11 animal welfare clubs, and 7 clubs received funding for their proposed activities.

A new award was recently created in memory of Dr. Carol Morgan, veterinarian and animal welfare advocate. The award is open to practicing veterinarians, and is to be used for continued education in the area of ethics and animal welfare.

Our Communications Committee is tasked with updating our website’s content and structure, launching our Facebook communications and promotional strategy, as well as writing ads and articles for hardcopy publications. A huge thank you to both Leanne and Adrienne for their ongoing dedication to these roles, and a special thanks to Leanne for creating an Operations Manual for use by future board members.

Over the last couple of years, the Visioning Committee, chaired by Norm Willis, made significant revisions to the AWFC vision, mission and impact statements. We thank the Committee for their efforts in helping to relay the Foundation’s story and purpose.

Finally, on behalf of the entire Board, I would like to acknowledge the incredible work of our Treasurer, John Andrew. John keeps our books balanced and our investments stable so we can continue our good work of funding deserving projects that improve animals’ lives.

Last spring, our fellow board member Leanne McConnachie was elected Vice-President and, as former secretary, passed the torch to Adrienne Johnston. Adrienne’s mandate is over and she will be leaving the board at the end of this meeting. We wish to thank her for her excellent work in this important support role. Our past-President, Dan Weary is also leaving the board after 10 years of service. The board greatly benefited from his leadership, commitment, and willingness to improve the governance of the Foundation. Dan was always there to discuss ideas and provide guidance, even when far away on sabbatical. Thank you Dan!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all board members, including our newest member Jackie Wepruk. It is a real privilege to work with such a dedicated group of professionals.

Renée Bergeron, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, April 2017

It is with mixed feelings that I write my final report as President of the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada. I was first elected to the Board in 2007, elected Vice-President in 2012 and President in 2014. This has given me the privilege of working with a wonderful and ever-changing team of fellow board members, and helping to improve the way the Foundation works in a number of ways. I am especially proud to have helped revise and improve our governance, and to have encouraged the development of our current diverse, professional, and committed board. I thank current and former board members for their wonderful ideas and hard work in making all this happen.

The current year has seen a number of important events and successes for the Foundation. We have continued our long-term association with Canada’s universities by funding a major public lecture at UBC (featuring Dr. Temple Grandin), and by continuing to fund student animal welfare clubs at universities across the country. Most importantly, we have continued our work of selecting and funding especially meritorious projects aimed at improving the welfare of animals in Canada. Highlights include grants to Bear Smart (to survey practices on how to mitigate human-bear conflict and produce an educational tool), to the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (to improve the standards of welfare for farm animals by providing expert advice on the Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of poultry and veal calves) and to Zoocheck (to address the lack of understanding with regard to the animal welfare issues involved in the keeping of small exotic animal species). I am grateful to the Grant Selection Committee for their hard work in selecting and overseeing these projects and the other work we have funded. I am also grateful to the Communications Committee and the Visioning Committee for their work over the past year.

At this meeting we say good-bye to Susan Church (first elected in 2010) who has now come to the end of her second 3-year term on the board. Susan has been an exemplary board member, full of energy, wonderful ideas, and a wealth of experience. Susan has also been remarkably generous to the Foundation in terms of her time and in her financial support – she will be sorely missed.

I wish to end by thanking my fellow Officers: John for his thorough and steady hand on the financial tiller, Leanne for keeping everything running smoothly, and Renée for her wise advice and help with the difficult decisions. With colleagues such as these success seems easy!

– Dan Weary, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, April 2016

Thank you very much for your continued service to the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada. This organization depends fully on your efforts as volunteers, and I am grateful for the work that each of you has done to strengthen the Foundation and allow it to operate more effectively. It is a great pleasure to work with such a professional and dedicated group of individuals.

Highlights from the past year include:

1. Our main function to fund excellent initiatives that improve the lives of animals. Our new grant application process functioned smoothly and allowed us to attract a number of strong applications. Of these we were able to fund four projects: Animal Justice Canada, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and South Okanagan Rehabilitation Centre for Owls. We have instituted a holdback that I hope will help us secure timely and high-quality reports from each of these organizations.
2. To function well we need strong governance. This was greatly advanced by the approval of our new Bylaws. Thanks to the impressive efforts of our Bylaw sub-committee, we received our Certificate of Continuance on October 9^th, 2014.
3. Our Foundation is only as strong as its Directors. Thus this year I was especially pleased to welcome our newest Directors, Adrienne and Norm. Already both have begun to make valuable contributions to the AWFC. I especially wish to thank Adrienne (and the External Communications committee) for her work on the new website and Facebook page, and thank Norm (and the members of the ‘visioning working group’) for prompting a discussion on what we do and how we can do it better. We will continue to need to recruit excellent new trustees in coming years, and I ask all of you to join in the search for new talent.

On a sad note, at this AGM we say good-bye to two long-standing and highly valued trustees, Alice and Craig. Alice first joined AWFC in 2006, served as President from 2012 – 2014, and as past President from 2014-2015. She helped to lead the transformation of the Foundation, including the impressive renewal in governance. Craig joined the AWFC in 2009 and has served as Treasurer since 2011, helping to place the Foundation in the secure financial position it is today. We will miss you both!

– Dan Weary, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, May 2015

First, I want to express on behalf of the Board our sadness at the recent death of the AWFC’s founding president, Tom Hughes. Tom spent more than 50 years working to improve the welfare of animals in Canada, including serving as Executive Director of the BCSPCA for 12 years, and establishing the AWFC in 1966 and the Canadian Farm Animal Care Trust in 1989.This only grazes the surface of his very many contributions—we are grateful to have known and worked with him.

This last year has seen progress for the AWFC in several areas, thanks to the efforts, commitment and varied talents of the board trustees. The AWFC has continued to make modest financial gains under the able stewardship of Treasurer Craig Daniell.

The active sub-committees accomplished a great deal. Some highlights:

1. The Grants Committee developed a stream-lined process for review of grant applications, which was used for the first time in the 2014 competition. Four grants were approved at the April 24, 2014 AGM—summaries can be found here. In accordance with the Strategic Direction, the AWFC aims to fund innovative education and research initiatives to achieve measurable positive change for animals in Canada. The overall goal is to make the best use of the Foundation’s relatively limited funds in order to advance the welfare of animals in Canada. One AWFC-funded project that took place in 2013 supported the national Cat Overpopulation Task Force, led by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS), in its goals of reducing cat overpopulation and the associated negative consequences of homelessness, overburdened shelters and rescues, and euthanasia because of illness and lack of space. AWFC funding supported planning conferences in 2013 with provincial stakeholders to present the results of the research, develop appropriate strategies and action plans, and address national and local issues. (These issues were generated in the research and include accessible spay/neuter, increasing cat ownership, increasing adoption and decreasing euthanasia). An update and development of further action plans for the “Cats Count in Canada!” initiative will take place at the CFHS National Animal Welfare Conference in Toronto in April 2014.
2. The By-laws Committee continues to move forward with required changes that will bring the AWFC into compliance with the new Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act. This Act “provides federal not-for-profit corporations with a new set of rules that are modern, flexible and better suited to the needs of today’s not-for-profit sector.”
3. Education about animal welfare continues to be a priority for the AWFC. In 2013-14, the Foundation provided grants to animal welfare clubs at the Canadian veterinary colleges to support activities such as conferences and lunch time talks. (Club reports). The Foundation also supports the public Peter Stratton Memorial Lecture at UBC and the Basil Capes Memorial Lecture at the University of Guelph. This year’s Stratton lecture was “Captivity, Conservation and the Welfare of Wild Animals.”

Retiring board members

At this AGM we bid adieu to two trustees on the AWFC board. On behalf of the board I extend sincere thanks to Joe Stookey and to Jane Morrigan for their many years of service to the AWFC. In particular I want to recognize Jane’s work with the AWFC website, through which it has been transformed from its previous outdated state to an attractive, easily navigable tool that has enabled the AWFC to improve communications and to go forward in many areas, for example the granting process for 2014.

As the outgoing president, I extend many thanks to Dan Weary for his excellent support as vice-president, to Craig Daniell our exemplary treasurer, and to our hard-working secretary Leanne McConnachie. It is a great pleasure to have worked with a board made up of such committed individuals—all working for better animal welfare in their professional lives—who give so generously of their time and knowledge to the AWFC.

– Alice Crook, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, April 2014

This last year has seen progress for the AWFC in several areas, thanks to the efforts, commitment and varied talents of the board trustees. The very active sub-committees accomplished a great deal. Some highlights:

1. The clarified Strategic Direction for the AWFC (approved April 2012) emphasizes innovative education and research initiatives to achieve measurable positive change for animals in Canada. The Strategic Direction offers guidance to applicants for AWFC funding and has proved very useful to the grants sub-committee in evaluation of grant applications. The sub-committee has also drafted a proposal for future granting policies—to determine how best to use the Foundation’s relatively limited funds to advance the welfare of animals in Canada.
2. Thanks to the skills of trustee and web mistress Jane Morrigan and the web site sub-committee, the AWFC web site has been extensively reworked, updated, and translated. Thanks to all board members for contributing lovely photos of animals living good lives.
3. Ably led by Frances Rodenburg, the by-laws subcommittee reviewed the AWFC by-laws and has drafted proposed changes to bring them into compliance with the new Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, for consideration at this AGM.

This past year, the AWFC has continued to make modest financial gains despite difficult investment times. This enabled a small grant competition for fall 2012 and a larger one for spring 2013. AWFC funds were awarded in the fall to support the national Cat Overpopulation Task Force, led by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, in its goals of reducing cat overpopulation and the associated negative consequences of homelessness, overburdened shelters and rescues, and euthanasia because of illness and lack of space. The Task Force produced an initial comprehensive report last year, based on a national survey. AWFC funding will be used to support planning conferences across Canada with provincial stakeholders to present the results and to develop appropriate strategies and action plans, addressing both national and local issues.

The AWFC continues to provide financial support for the development of the BCSPCA Certified Standards Program—an innovative farm certification and food-labelling program dedicated to improving farm animal welfare standards in Canada.

I know I speak for all the board in thanking Treasurer Craig Daniell for his very able financial guidance and for the clarity of his financial statements.

Education about animal welfare continues to be a priority for the AWFC. In 2012, the Foundation provided grants to animal welfare clubs at the five veterinary colleges, to support activities such as conferences and lunch time talks, and other initiatives—e.g., Poultry Welfare conference at the Atlantic Veterinary College and Animal Welfare Forum at the Ontario Veterinary College. The Foundation also supports the public Peter Stratton Memorial Lecture at UBC and the Basil Capes Memorial Lecture at the University of Guelph.

Retiring board members

At this AGM we will bid adieu to 3 long-serving trustees of the AWFC board. On behalf of the board I extend sincere thanks to Chris Harvey-Clark for his many years of service.

Ian Duncan has also served for many years on the AWFC board, including several terms as president. Through his long and illustrious international career, Dr. Duncan has contributed greatly to the way both the scientific community and the public understand animal welfare—and to the resultant advancement thereof—through his highly-regarded scholarly work and his evidence-based advocacy for better treatment of animals. The AWFC has benefited greatly from his leadership and we thank him.

This brings me to our excellent retiring secretary, Frances Rodenburg, who has served for many long years as the backbone of the AWFC. It is only in my last few years on the Executive that I have really appreciated how much work Frances does to make things easy for the rest of us. Frances, we thank you so much for your cool head and supreme organizational skills, your passion for improving the welfare of animals, and your long-standing commitment to the AWFC!

I also extend many thanks to Dan Weary for his support as vice-president, to Craig Daniell our exemplary treasurer, and to our incoming secretary Leanne McConnachie. It is a pleasure to be president of a board made up of such committed and hard-working individuals—all working for better animal welfare in their professional lives—who give so generously of their time and knowledge to the AWFC.

– Alice Crook, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, June 2013

The past year has been one of holding our ship steady on course while depressed financial markets are very slowly recovering. However, it seems that the projects that have been funded by the Foundation, namely the further development of the SPCA Certified program and the cross-Canada lecture tour promoting alternative husbandry systems to battery cages for laying hens, have been successful. In addition, all the evidence suggests that the support the Foundation is giving to the Animal Welfare Clubs in the Veterinary Colleges is paying dividends. All these clubs have been very active in the past year. In February of this year, I was invited by the Club at St. Hyacinth to give a lunch-time talk. There was very good attendance of students and Faculty at the talk, even though it coincided with mid-term exams. The number of really good questions that were asked also indicates that these students are embracing animal welfare in a big way.

I am very much aware that for the past few years the Foundation has focussed its support on the improvement of farm animal welfare. The Foundation should keep in mind that its function is to use its funds to support services and programs for all animals in need and not just farm animals.

At this time I would like to pay tribute to the man responsible for establishing the Foundation, Tom Hughes. You will know that two months ago Tom was struck by a very severe illness which has left him physically and mentally incapacitated, and from which he almost certainly will not recover. Tom has had a truly remarkable career. He has spent more than 50 years working to improve the welfare of all animals across Canada. He was Executive Director of the BC SPCA for 12 years during which time he built up the Society and founded 12 branches throughout the Province. He was then Executive Director of the OSPCA and continued his tradition of branch development in Ontario. In 1966 he established the Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada. He was the first President and then the Honorary Treasurer for many years. In his retirement, he was more active in animal welfare projects than many people are through their working lives. When he thought that the Foundation was largely ignoring the needs of farm animals, he established the Canadian Farm Animal Care Trust to support research and development of more humane husbandry systems and procedures. Tom also initiated the Foundation’s development of a grant for the Peter Stratton Memorial Lecture at UBC and the Basil Capes Memorial Lecture at the University of Guelph. Tom Hughes has probably had a greater influence in improving the welfare of more animals in Canada then anyone. We should all be proud to have known him.

Since this will be my last report as President of the Foundation, I would like to thank all the Board Members for their support throughout the past year and for all the years that I have been President. In particular I would like to thank the two Vice-Presidents, Alice Crook and Dan Weary for their support and suggestions through the year. It goes without saying that I am forever grateful to the Honorary Secretary, Frances Rodenburg for all her hard work. I am particularly grateful to Craig Daniel who has taken over the role of Honorary Treasurer in a masterful way and laid out the Foundation’s financial position very clearly.

It has been a real pleasure for me to have been associated with this organization for several years now. What has made my job so rewarding is the willingness of the Board of Trustees to work together harmoniously to find solutions to animal welfare problems. I would like to thank all Trustees from the bottom of my heart for making my spell as President a real delight.

– Ian J.H. Duncan, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, April 2012

In my report last year, I suggested that there are many indicators that Canada is near a “tipping point” with regard to animal welfare matters. There are various Welfare Quality Assurance schemes for animal products. These seem to be doing well and are gradually expanding. Many of the Provincial Colleges of Veterinarians are phasing out cosmetic surgeries for companion animals. I am particularly impressed with the approach taken by the National Farm Animal Care Council in how it is tackling revision of the Recommended Codes of Practice. I admit to being suspicious of this organization when it was founded, but all the indications are that it is involving the brightest and most knowledgeable people in the revision of the Codes. Finally, the teaching of animal welfare is well established in Universities and Colleges throughout Canada and the enthusiasm for welfare information amongst students in the Veterinary Colleges continues to rise. The Trustees of the Foundation now need to decide how best to exploit this current situation with a society apparently on the verge of embracing animal welfare in a big way.

In 2007, we made the decision to fund fewer but larger animal welfare projects. I think we were all a little disappointed at the standard of many of the applications. Last year, we made the decision to fund a Conference or Conferences on the Future of Battery Cages in Canada. I will be reporting on those Meetings later in this AGM; sufficient to say here that the meetings were very successful. We now need to decide on what our funding policy should be over the next few years.

I would like to thank all the Board Members for their support throughout the year. In particular I would like to thank the two Vice-Presidents, Alice Crook and Dan Weary for their support and suggestions through the year. It goes without saying that I am forever grateful to the Honorary Secretary, Frances Rodenburg for all her hard work. I reserve until last a very special vote of thanks and appreciation for our Honorary Treasurer, Tom Hughes. You will all be aware that he retired from the Treasurer’s position in December when Craig Daniell took over. The Foundation is really Tom’s baby. It was his idea to form the Foundation in 1966 and he has been at the heart of it ever since. I cannot think of anyone else in Canada who has worked as vigorously and as tirelessly as Tom to promote animal welfare. We all owe him a huge debt of gratitude. I called the Foundation “Tom’s baby”. Well, after 45 years the baby is now weaned. In my view it is thriving and will continue to grow and prosper into the future. You should be extremely proud, Tom, of the organization that you have created.

– Ian J.H. Duncan, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, June 2011

In 2008, the Trustees decided that in the face of the world-wide economic downturn, the Foundation should husband its funds carefully. With that in mind, and in order to save money, the decision was made not to have an in-person Annual General Meeting in 2009. This means that there is not very much to report on at the 2010 Annual General Meeting.

In the last year, we have continued with the policy adopted in 2007 of disbursing fewer but larger animal welfare projects. The time is probably ripe to decide whether this policy has been successful or not.

As I stated in my Stratton Lecture, I am feeling more optimistic about the future of animal welfare than I have felt for many years. There are many indicators pointing to societal change. Funding for the two NSERC Industrial Chairs in Animal Welfare at UBC, which seemed to be in danger of disappearing a few years ago, now seems to be secured. A new Chair in Companion Animal Welfare is in the process of being established at Guelph with the aid of the Mona Campbell bequest. I am disappointed that this Chair is not in the area of farm animal welfare, but since Mona left her money to OVC and since 80% of OVC students want to work with companion animals, I can understand the decision. The University of Guelph established a Masters by Coursework in Animal Welfare and will be graduating the second cohort of students this summer. There seems to be a steady demand for places in this program. I hear that the enthusiasm for welfare information amongst students in the Veterinary Colleges continues to rise and that interest amongst undergraduate students is strong. The Intercollegiate Animal Welfare Judging Competition held annually at Michigan State University is going from strength to strength. In fact, the undergraduate division of the competition was won by a team from the Royal Veterinary College in London.

Another indicator is that there are several Welfare Quality Assurance schemes that are doing well and gradually expanding. The BC SPCA Certified scheme, which the Foundation has supported, is but one example.

The Provincial Animal Welfare Councils have been doing a good job putting on several excellent training programs for Livestock Truckers. They are also changing and are becoming much more proactive than reactive. Moreover, they are expanding with B.C. now having a Council.

There might even be a positive side to the scandal that arose at the Toronto Humane Society last year. The downside of “no kill shelters” was exposed and I think will make people much more careful of where they put their support.

All of these indicators suggest to me that we may be near a “tipping point” The Trustees of the Foundation now need to decide how best to exploit this current situation with a society apparently on the verge of embracing animal welfare in a big way.

I should report that the Executive Committee have met twice by telephone in the last year and that I have met regularly (about every 6 weeks) with the Honorary Treasurer to discuss Foundation business.

I would like to thank all the Board Members for their support throughout the year. In particular I would like to thank the two Vice-Presidents, Alice Crook and Dan Weary for their support and suggestions through the year. It goes without saying that I am forever grateful to the Honorary Secretary, Frances Rodenburg, and the Honorary Treasurer, Tom Hughes for all their hard work.

I also wish to make it clear that I will be retiring from the President’s position at the AGM next year.

– Ian J.H. Duncan, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, May 2010

I am pleased to report another successful year for the Foundation.

This year represents the second year of the Foundation’s change in policy regarding the dispersion of funds for animal welfare projects. Once again, all the known centres of excellence for animal welfare research in Canada were contacted and invited to submit expressions of interest in carrying out major animal welfare projects of national importance. This was followed up by requests for letters of intent from the best of the interested groups. The Foundation selected the best five of these expressions of interest, and those scientists were invited to submit full applications. These five applications will be considered at the current meeting and one or two of these will be approved and funded for one or two years.

Reports are only now coming in on the results of the first projects funded under this system. It is therefore too early to decide if this new method of allocating funds is making a bigger impact on animal welfare than the previous method. I would suggest that at next year’s AGM we may be in a better position to make this judgement.

In my report last year, I raised the following question: If for the next few years, the Foundation will be funding only one or two projects, is it necessary for the Board to meet annually (at some considerable expense) in order to make very few decisions? These decisions could be made equally well by telephone conference or by internet discussion. The answer to this question was forced upon us by the downturn in the worldwide economy, and we find ourselves this year meeting by telephone conference.

I give the Foundation due warning that it is my intention to retire from the Presidency at next year’s AGM.

I would like to thank all the Board Members for their support throughout the year. In particular I would like to thank the Honourary Secretary, Frances Rodenburg, and the Honourary Treasurer, Tom Hughes for all their hard work.

– Ian J.H. Duncan, President, Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada, June 2009