VOTE Faces of Change for compassion and honesty ...

For a look at a dynamic new slate of compassionate, caring individuals with hand's on experience and a passion to inspire, visit the Faces of Change website.
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No matter how many times it happens, I continue to harbour a pointless belief that people will "play fair" and the naive core of me keeps thinking that those who purport to care for animal welfare, somehow are "different" and will avoid the narcissistic, self-congratulatory, defamatory and malicious gossip mongering that is an inevitable reality in the political arena.

Silly me.

As I watch the gathering storm surrounding the upcoming election of a new Board at the Toronto Humane Society, I am increasingly disgusted by the posturing, shrillness of the Old Guard as they scramble to maintain their vice-like grip and influence on positions to which they brought disgrace and disgust.

The reality is that the current Board of Directors – which includes Bob Hambley – allowed many of the actions which the OSPCA alleged took place over the last several years to continue. No one challenged the adversarial and dictatorial Trow nor questioned his decisions and lack of transparency over many YEARS and through numerous allegations, complaints, change in staff and accusations; allowing his management to continue unquestioned – thus destroying what began as a great vision (because truth be told, much of Trow’s visions had merit, the vision unfortunately remained amphorous and the actions were different), and leading to the situation which allowed the OSPCA to take over.

More problematic is that as someone who was intimately involved with the desperate (and often futile race) to save many of the animals that were at the THS when the highly offensive, dictatorial animal-killing OSPCA took over – not ONCE did I see any Board member (Hambley included) in there fighting the good fight. It was staff – primarily support staff and volunteers who scrambled, fought, cried and moved mountains to save those innocent lives that were able to be saved – and in the doing, rescued some that seemed doomed (and to our continued grieving, some we couldn’t save).

From last week’s outrageous and improper use of privileged information :

The supervisor of the Toronto Humane Society board election has rebuked one of the two competing slates for sending a campaign message to THS members using email addresses obtained from the public relations firm which employs the slate’s organizer.

The “Save the THS” slate was assembled by Michelle Wasylyshen, an employee of the Sussex Strategy Group, which worked for the THS in 2009.

According to the election supervisor, former judge Sydney Robins, Sussex gave the slate THS members’ emails without the society’s knowledge.

“The list clearly ought not to have been transferred to the Save the THS slate and its use thereof was improper,” Robins wrote to candidates.

Wasylyshen has apologized.

Daniel Dale

Tell me that a “slap on the wrist” is adequate for this! Outrageous!

To the shrill bleating of an individual called Margaret Ann Johnson (who is possibly is related to Alan Johnson, a current and long-time THS board member (since 1979, through several scandals) – (from Social Mange AND according to another source, from a family who have had a member on the THS Board of Directors for many years) there have been slurs, slander, outright lies and the appropriation of actions and efforts by OTHERS as these narcissistic, self-congratulatory individuals seek to maintain if not positions, influence on the direction which the THS will now take.

The reality is that much of what transpired at the THS during the Occupation was abetted and aided by individuals who – cowed no doubt by the heavy-handed tactics of the Nazi Guard (aka OSPCA)– signed off on actions that were directly in violation of everything the THS stood for. From the appointment of Garth Jerome (who most decidedly does NOT have the “no kill”, humane vision which the Society exemplified) to acceding to numerous unnecessary, inhumane and political euthanizations of many of the animals (and in truth, decimating the cat population to the sorrow of many volunteers and staff), Hambley et al. have NOT stepped out to be heard.

Now, to compound their lack of action during the actual crisis, in a letter he sent to THS supporters, Hambley now claims credit for many actions that in truth had NOTHING to do with him.

Among other things, he claims to have “removed the OSPCA from the shelter and found homes for all the animals...”- um, NOT. My recollection, which is crystal clear certainly does not include any efforts on the part of Hambley in this regard!

Further, he asserts he “helped expose and led [sic] the movement that stopped the OSPCA plan to euthanize 350 cats and dogs for ringworm ...” well yeah, we heard the media quote him but that was AFTER there was a groundswell of public opinion, hundreds of emails to the premier, the OSPCA, massive and unrelenting reactions to the stories by the general public, veterinarians, rescues, humane societies and others – NOT the THS Board! They certainly were NOT involved in the numerous protests, organized campaigns, and efforts made by the Toronto people to proclaim their outrage and I certainly did not see them walking the protest line with myself and others up in Newmarket.

He also asserts that certain actions were undertaken by the newly minted Faces of Change slate – i.e. legal recourse to the court to have the OSPCA remain, complaints etc – which most certainly are NOT true. The Faces of Change has, among its members, a few (very few) members of ART – which may and indeed, was, responsible for some of what he claims – but has NOTHING to do with any of the actions currently planned by Faces of Change.

The reality is that Faces of Change contains a balanced, passionate, experienced group of individuals with diverse viewpoints that balance and strengthen a central vision - the Toronto Humane Society as a refuge, a rehabilitation centre, a voice for education and reform of animal welfare laws, whose most important and crucial job is to care for all animals – not just the easy ones.

Unlike the current “new” slate of candidates championed by Hambley and handpicked by the VERY Michelle Wasylyshen named above, many of whom have more than likely never set foot in the THS or any other animal rescue facility- the FOC slate actually have direct experience in animal welfare, rescues and in many cases, are intimately familiar with the THS itself, having actually volunteered there. The FOC slate includes veterinarians, publicity experts, a forensic accountant, a lawyer and individuals from other animal rescues, an eclectic, passionate group who through EXPERIENCE and their actual actions have showed themselves to be champions of a Shelter that believes every animal deserves a chance.

May 30th is coming up quick – EDUCATE yourself and decide for yourself whether the ineffective, bumbling of the Old Guard with their underhanded tactics is preferable to a transparent, clean slate of individuals whose combined experience in animal welfare can only create what most of us here in Toronto want to see – a revitalized, transparent, honest and HUMANE Toronto Humane Society where compassion rules and every life counts.