Cornwall Ontario – Over a year ago a local business person donated a sum of money to CFN because he wanted our local OSPCA to advertise to help find homes for stray cats in our area after hearing about issues about the difficulties the shelter was experiencing with overload.
The local affiliate did not accept that very generous offer of a full year of free advertising in the largest newspaper in its community. 13 million human pageviews would have found quite a few cats new homes.
Instead we have an affiliate, run by Carol Link, that is refusing to take in animals, and complains to the point of bringing national exposure to Cornwall that truly wasn’t accurate.
Cornwall doesn’t really have a feral cat issue. It has a pet issue as far too many people let their cats out even though cats adapt easily to being indoors full time, and it’s been proven that outside cats have shorter lives than indoor cats and end up with more health issues.
The City of Cornwall also is at fault for not having any governance over cats(or raccoons, or apparently moose) while it does over dogs.
Part of the problem also lies on how the OSPCA runs itself as it essentially becomes a lucrative outlet for vets. By the OSPCA’s own admission locally they state that their average cost per cat care is $514! That’s utterly insane, but then thanks to the Ontario Vet college pet owners in this province pay far more than in our neighboring Quebec or over the border in Massena NY.
An example being that I recently and sadly had to euthanize my very aged cat. A call to Massena showed a fee of $35 as it takes very little time and essentially is a simple injection. A call to the most notorious and complained about pet clinic in our city led to questions if I was a client or not as they had different pricing. Eventually I was told that they’d charge me $110 plus HST. Having to go through such questions while grieving through the process of loss is not nice.
The OSPCA should have student vets or vets in house, and employed by the organization. Donations should not be for padding the pockets of vets.
Does it make any sense to spend $500 caring for a cat and then offer them for adoption for $50 or less because of overcrowding in this day of no kill shelters. And is it any wonder that so many people stop supporting our local OSPCA when they behave in the manner they do? Turning down free support when they appear to be struggling?
Clearly instead of making presentations to council they should be doing their jobs and mandates of caring for animals and finding solutions instead of trying to intimidate a city into giving them pet control contracts, ie more cash, to spend $500 per cat. Again, this is their number as shared in council, not some made up figure unless the OSPCA made that up.
The City does need a by law. It needs owners to control their cats as they do their dogs. IE if they want their cat to be outside it should be limited to their own property unless on a leash, and cats adapt to leash training quite well.
My yard in downtown Cornwall is frequented daily by a about a half dozen local cats who aren’t always the most well behaved visitors.
Pet shelters serve a huge role in pet ownership. They deserve public support at all levels, but if their management puts politics over pet care it’s time for new management.
Whether it be free advertising from media, or people wanting to donate or volunteer, public support is critical. For every person snubbed or disrespected by its staff or management countless others end up not supporting the shelter which is how Cornwall ends up spending $500 to put up cats for adoption for $50 or less.
It’s time to change management of this shelter and move forward because our animals deserve proper care and their best chance at finding a new forever home.
Our community can and needs to do better, and whoever was responsible for that national fake news exposure needs to be held accountable.
Greetings Jamie & the “Clique”,
This article , along with your other comments the other day regarding “Hanneford’s demise in Massena, forces me to speak out ! I used to, consider myself a rather loyal consumer that bought locally ! However, that loyalty has now long gone. I detest bullies & will not support their businesses. So very disappointed in the local OSPCA !
Mr. Moreau people have to really think about what “local” means. Do we here in Cornwall not want people in Massena to shop in our town? Then why wouldn’t we shop there when it’s so close? Why is it better to shop in Vaudreuil as our Economic Development Officer like to do and not Massena? And Massena merchants have to be more Canadian friendly if they want our business. Local is about neighbors, not lines on a map.
Jamie I only shop in Canada wherever that is and not in the US. Trump has taken away jobs from Canada and I don’t accept that at all. I always shop here in Ottawa and when we lived in Cornwall I shopped in Cornwall and Ottawa. Only once did we shop for a couple of items in Massena and never again. The treatment coming back was a hell and an embarrassment. We shop only in Canada.
This morning hubby and I went over to Giant Tiger here in Ottawa for his cigarettes and we spotted Lebanese products and he was happy as a clam to see that. We have many stores to choose from here. My MOTTO is to shop locally. There was a guard that I went to school with and he charged us a great deal of money coming back and never again. You get burned once and that is all it takes for us.
Jules if you had problems coming back to Canada you can’t blame the US for that 🙂
Jamie it wasn’t the fault of the US but the Canadian authorities. I cannot say enough compliments to the US guards back then who were very polite and courteous. The Canadian guards were the worst so mighty impolite and rude as can be. I have the respect for the US guards in the Cornwall/Massena area. I support locally for our economy.
Jamie I always mean what I say wacky or not. You have the best paper in Cornwall and it is the first paper of Cornwall that I read before I look at the toilet papers of record. You are honest and straight forward and I have never seen you hurt other papers but it was the other way around. You are one of the top people in Cornwall and they don’t appreciate that.
I am disappointed in the OSPCA as well as Farm Boy and other places that put Jamie down and wont advertise with him because the clique will come after them. Do you think that I want to go back and live in such a town that acts in this way? The answer is no I want to be free if I had a business and advertise with whom I want, etc. Cornwall is a dictatorship.
Jamie when we lived in Cornwall we would also shop in Montréal but it was terrible with all the honks and middle finger from the Québecois because we had and have Ontario plates. Hubby and I speak fluent French and this is the reception that we had in Montréal and on the highway. In some ways it might be better shopping in Massena.
I have arthritis so bad lately that I may need a harness for myself with a leash. LOL LOL. Hubby calls the hood on my jacket my harness. Tomorrow afternoon I will go out with my daughter for a long enough walk. I am in pain just typing this out. My daughter has arthritis as well doing that job as cashier and standing up for hours is bad.
Jamie I have something that I fell on about border crossing from Canada to the US and I thought that you should read it. Ottawa author detained by US border guards says system broken ca.yahoo.com/news/Ottawa-author-detained-u-border-110000518.html