Imagine a world where all animals are respected and valued. In this world, we don’t need to worry about expensive veterinary care, or whether there is unethical breeding, puppy mills and harmful government legislation. Unfortunately, this is not the world we’re living in. The truth is our community is hurting. Our city is hurting. Animals and the guardians that take care of them are hurting. With the price of living in Toronto skyrocketing due to inflation and aftereffects from the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of people are living below the poverty line, which means they can’t fully afford heat, food or shelter. What that also means, is that they can’t afford expensive veterinary bills. But there is a path forward.

Toronto Humane Society will be investing resources to increase the amount of public veterinary appointments available in the Greater Toronto Area and serve the members of our community who need this support so dearly. This will allow us to improve the lives of many more animals in our city.

To lead this important transition, Phil Nichols has been appointed as Interim Chief Executive Officer. His leadership and dedication as our Chief Operating Officer has already helped us achieve significant progress on our 2020 – 2025 Strategic Plan, and the board of directors has great confidence in Phil’s ability to lead Toronto Humane Society into the next chapter.

Toronto Humane Society is dedicated to improving the lives of animals. As an organization we are committed to helping pet families across the City of Toronto. To further improve our services, we have implemented some important changes. One change includes a pause to our Rescue Transport Program.

Part of our five-year Strategic Plan, which was adopted in 2020 called us to expand on our core animal welfare programs and services, extending our support to both animal and human welfare initiatives. This decision will enable us to focus efforts and resources more directly on the city of Toronto, as is our mandate.

To increase accessibility and affordability for Toronto pet families, we have reallocated veterinary resources to serve the public. This shift will make these essential services more readily available to those in need. As we progress through the year, we will continually assess our resources with the possibility of resuming the Rescue Transport Program, in early 2024.

Our goal is to make sure that no family is forced to make difficult decisions about the animals they love due to financial constraints, to ensure that every pet receives the care they deserve.