Rebutt... Rebuke.... REFUSE... or storytelling 101 by Tim Trow - UPDATED

The letter below was recently sent to the membership list of the Toronto Humane Society. As per his usual, Tim Trow makes outrageous, untruthful allegations based on nothing more than his own flawed opinion and obsessive desire to wrest control yet again.  Tim's letter is in italic. My rebuttals are in bold.

Dear Friend,



You will have been as distressed as I was to read the horrific newspaper reports about two cats whose right eyes had been poked out. A third had his teeth smashed. They were left to die in a dumpster.


The good news is that they were rescued and taken to the Bay Cat Hospital. There, a dedicated and skilful vet saved these brave animals, who were already purring and playing as they recovered from their surgery.


Toronto Animal Services found the guardian of one of them. The other two have already found good homes. This was truly a tragic story with a happy ending after such a terrible ordeal.


Then I realized: "Where was The Toronto Humane Society?" After all, the Bay Cat Hospital is only a few blocks from the THS shelter at 11 River Street, but we weren’t there.


This is the even greater tragedy - that The Toronto Humane Society has abandoned its rescue program. All of the uniformed rescue officers have been fired. Sadly, The Toronto Humane Society no longer cares for these animals who need you and me the most.

Under Toronto by-laws, Toronto Animal Services is responsible for taking in strays and the THS’ right to do so was removed. HOWEVER, TAS and the THS have been working towards the same goals and as such, work together to give every animal the opportunity to a new and happy life. Animals are exchanged between the two organizations based on which organization looks like it would be best suited to deal with that animal’s needs.

The Etobicoke Humane Society also is an OSPCA affiliate, Apparently, they have OSPCA-sanctioned volunteer cruelty investigators who are limited to the boundaries of the former borough of Etobicoke.

Sadly, under the auspices of former President Tim Trow, the right to investigate animal-related issues was removed by the OSPCA which dictates who and what organizations are legally allowed to conduct investigations. Uniformed rescue officers were not “fired” by the Toronto Humane Society; rather, they lost their legal status due to what was considered gross negligence and a lack of accountability under Trow.

Further, the right to handle wildlife was ALSO revoked under the previous management:


VP Marcie Laking said in a Star interview last year “The natural resources ministry shut it down during Trow’s tenure and the issue is before the courts, she said. “ this is verifiable and fact.

Since I wrote to you recently, I have received numerous telephone calls, letters and emails and I have learned much more about the true state of The Toronto Humane Society.


You may remember that I mentioned in my last letter the rumours about a possible appraisal and sale of the shelter. Well, an appraisal is a fact. And the shutting down and sale of the shelter has been discussed at the Board.


I have been assured that there are NO plans to shut down 11 River Street. An appraisal is simply good business sense and has no bearing on whether or not the building was going to be sold. The new Board has a fiscal responsibility to get their house in order.

Further, according to a Board member, she is not aware of any appraisal. The staff have, however, been reviewing maintenance/upkeep needs for the building which were grossly neglected under Tim Trow’s management.

We know that the Board has already closed the North York Adoption Centre for good. I'm sure that they will deny that any decision about the shelter has been made. But why else would they reduce the number of animals being cared for from over a thousand to a couple of hundred? And once a decision is made, and we learn of it, it will be too late to change.


The reality was that with a misguided sense of compassion, a hoarder mentality was woefully prevalent in the THS. There is NO kindness in taking in thousands of animals when the quality of care that was able to be provided was sorely lacking. Dogs were unsocialized, under-exercised and had no access to quality of life. Kennels have been reconfigured so that dogs now have twice the space they were accorded before. Further, the gates between these larger kennels, mean dogs experience less stress as they can be gently herded into the other side while the alternate side is cleaned, instead of being constantly moved from kennel to kennel. Dogs seek stability and having a place they recognize as “theirs” is crucial to a healthy mindset.

Further, one of the former kennels has been ripped out and the room reconfigured as a K9 wellness centre. Here, trained staff and volunteers work with a highly qualified K9 co-ordinator to teach dogs how to interact in a healthy and well socialized manner with people. Providing dogs with good socialization, teaching them basic commands, making them comfortable in a variety of environments is immensely helpful in ensuring that once adopted, the adoption is successful. 

Maxx (a stray from TAS) is a great example of this.  A volunteer dog walker is taking him to highly acclaimed trainer Sam Malatesta's class currently taking place on Sundays in the THS and he's a changed dog.   Several other dogs have attended the class and have since been adopted.

K9 Manager Shas is also doing in-house training with dog owners to keep dogs in their homes (ie. deal with the issue rather than surrendering or returning the dog)

Cats were in a very bad place.  They would go weeks without anyone visiting them other than to clean their cages.  “With only 8 cat volunteers and 800 cats, you can do the math.” a Board member and volunteer said.

The cattery is vastly improved. Yes, there are less cats. However, now the cats are provided with ample opportunity to exercise, interact and socialize not only with other cats but with human beings. Volunteers and staff have time and skills to work with the cats and ensure that they are having a positive and stimulating stay in the Toronto Humane Society. Human interaction, close attention to individual temperaments, interaction and play time all contribute to a vastly superior quality of life compared to being stacked like cordwood in small 2 x 2 ft cages with NO opportunity to explore, exercise or interact.

Communal rooms under the old THS were inaccessible and difficult for people to even see in before, so no incentive to adopt those cats.  The hygiene of the rooms was horrific under the old management.  At one point there were 20 cats in the FIV room in a room the size of a work cubicle.  Now the cats each get a visit once a day – at least!

The small animal room has also been completely renovated with serious attention paid to creating proper habitats and positive interactions for the various species. Animals are now on a far superior diet with close attention paid again to socialization and proper health.

Friends, we can't let them close The Toronto Humane Society.


There is NO question the THS is to be closed. Further, several plans are in the works to enhance and expand their purview, including negotiations to re-establish the right to take in strays, efforts to raise funds for a low cost spay/neuter clinic and continued creation of positive relationships with various breed rescues and other animal care organizations.

As I write, the shelter has been essentially emptied. The lost and found are taken to City pounds. Cages have been demolished. The CatSkyHouse is eerily quiet. A handful of dogs brought in from Quebec masks the reality of the nearly empty shelter. For the first time in Society history the frightened, the elderly, the sick, and the tiniest of kitten orphans, have had their right of entry snatched from them.

First, the THS and Toronto Animal Services have established a close and positive working relationship. There is interaction and reciprocal movement between the two organizations. Depending on the animal, there is collaboration on where the best placement would be for that particular animal – where it would have the greatest chance of being adopted.

The THS is also actively working towards the establishment of positivem, reciprocal relationships with breed rescues and plans are in the offing to bolster and expand its foster care program. There is no question that the optimum place for any animal to live is NOT a shelter. At-risk animals, whether due to temperament, emotional or health issues thrive best when moved to appropriate rescues or foster homes where they can get the best care possible. The THS keeps in close touch with their current foster homes and monitor where their animals are placed and regular follow-up and checks are made to ensure that the placements are working well both for the animals and their sponsors.

So what is the response of the Board to this shameful record? Not surprisingly, it's to try to change the rules to keep them in control. You've heard about new by-laws Board Chair Linda McKinnon is proposing. Here are just a few of the changes they haven't told us about:

The Board can appoint an unlimited number of new, non-voting but full Board members without member approval;

According to a Board member,



(1) any proposed by-law amendments were brought to the Board from the governance committee that was open for any member to join.


(2) A summary of all proposed amendments are being sent to the members with their AGM invites and the actual proposed amendments are available upon request to members for review prior to the AGM


(3) proposed amendments are not designed to keep anyone out but are about making the bylaws current, ie. gender-neutral wording, in line with the Corporations Act, and in keeping with recent case law related to the London Humane Society case, AND


(4) the proposed bylaw amendments will be voted on by the members, not just the Board at the AGM with the members having been informed by the mailing. There was NO ATTEMPT to “sneak” things through with the general proxy tactics Tim used to use.


Lastly, the Board member indicated she was unaware of any proposed amendment about appointing non-voting Board members – what would be the point (or impact for that matter?!) of that?


Board members can be proposed at the Annual Meeting. This means that if you can't attend in person and are voting by proxy, you won't know who all the candidates are;

There have been no changes to how Board members can be elected other than to open up nominations to all members.  The current Board will indicate on the mailing which of the candidates they support, but it is STILL the membership who decides to elect who they see fit.


Board and committee meetings used to be open and transparent. Now Board members will be prohibited from telling us what happens at their meetings. Volunteers will be silenced as well.

Unlike when Tim held Board elections, candidates were provided with an opportunity to be included in the mailing with a biography. Under the bylaws, anyone who submits an application up until (not sure of exact timing) 2 weeks prior to the AGM can run – but more time was needed to get the mailing out to the members prior to the AGM. Hence the fact that SOME candidates may not make it into the mailing, but they are still able to run. A HUGE step up from the last Tim AGM where the members had to REPEATEDLY ASK during the meeting who was even up for election!



The current Board is VERY transparent – they currently post their minutes on the website which had never been done.

Tim’s remarks here would almost be amusing if they weren’t so outrageous. The reality is that Board meetings under his reign were travesties. He is excellent at schmoozing people and would collect a huge amount of proxies (his preferred way of running things). Individuals who disagreed were usually allowed any time to state their objections and his belligerent, often frightening demeanour, yelling and refusal to allow a civilized debate seldom ensured a balanced meeting. “Open” and “transparent” are the LAST way I would describe former Board meetings.

Fortunately, there is a solution.


You and I can vote down this distraction from animal care. That’s why I hope that your membership is up-to-date. And please tell your friends who are members about this critical vote.


For over a century, The Toronto Humane Society has been a refuge for all animals. Those who came before us battled against cruelty. We have always been a shelter for the most vulnerable. We can be that place again. We cannot abandon the three cats I told you about and so many others. They need us.


And we certainly cannot tolerate a near empty shelter.


I have been speaking with members and friends of The Toronto Humane Society. I know that we all want it to succeed and that’s why I’m so gratified that you have shared your ideas to make The Toronto Humane Society great again. I will be discussing and sharing these ideas with you before the upcoming Annual Meeting.


Please join with me as you have before to make The Toronto Humane Society the leader in caring for all animals. They need us like they’ve never needed us before.


With best personal regards,

Tim, if you TRULY cared about the Toronto Humane Society you would be aware that your name is synonymous with dysfunctional.

The manner in which your staff was treated was beyond anything I, as a volunteer, had ever experienced in any environment.  Yelling, browbeating, dismissal and threats were common.

Further, your egocentric form of management resulted in the OSPCA having the power to walk in and destroy many of the animals you purportedly “saved”. Had you not obviously, consciously and arrogantly flaunted the untenable situation you created within the walls of 11 River Street, the OSPCA would never have had the authority to do what it did. The fact that they acted like complete cretins and in turn, flaunted the rule of law themselves (thus ensuring that pretty well all charges were dropped and actually never made it to Court due to gross errors in the way they exercised warrants and conducted themselves), is moot.


You had your day.


In actual fact, I have said and will say again, many of your visions were excellent – it was just when your ego got in the way that they got distorted and twisted.


It is time to move on.


For the Toronto Humane Society to take a new, wonderful direction which will in fact (and is) fulfilling many of the dreams you yourself had and for YOU, to realize that your day is DONE and if you really care as you say you do, WALK AWAY.