For media inquiries, please reach out to Natalia Hanson at natalia@humanecanada.ca or 343-308-2362
2025 SUMMIT FOR ANIMALS:
January 29, 2025: No Judgment, Just Help: A Journey of Compassion with Dr. Kwane Stewart
We chatted with Dr. Kwane Stewart, veterinarian, founder of Project Street Vet and 2023 CNN Hero of the Year, on his journey of compassion 🩷
Dr. Kwane is the keynote speaker for the 2025 #SummitForAnimals - our annual conference bringing together the largest delegation of animal welfare professionals, shelter and rescue staff, advocates, and more. Watch this recording to be inspired and register now at HUMANECANADA.CA/SUMMIT so you can meet "The Street Vet" in Montréal this April!
April 17, 2025: The future of farmed animal welfare in Canada from a science standpoint
Cows, pigs and chickens🐄🐷🐔 are the most farmed animals in our country. How can we preserve their welfare and develop strong relationships with other stakeholders with the same mission?
We invite you to watch this interview recording with Dr. Jamie Ahloy-Dallaire, Associate Professor of Animal Sciences at Université Laval, and Bianca Vandresen, PhD candidate in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia.
Jamie and Bianca are part of a multi-stakeholder panel on how to avoid a polarized future regarding farmed animal welfare at Humane Canada's Summit for Animals.
The conference is sold out, but we still encourage you to meet our 100+ speakers and browse through the 55+ sessions on the conference website.
April 15, 2025: Let's chat birds! How animal welfare enthusiasts can help prevent bird window collisions
Tune into this livestream recording with Victoria Badham, Manager of Education and Outreach at Toronto Wildlife Centre.
Victoria is one of four panellists of bird advocates presenting a session titled How animal welfare professionals can save millions of bird lives: A practical discussion at our upcoming Summit for Animals conference in Montréal on April 28.
The conference is SOLD OUT, and we encourage you to add your name to our email list here so you can learn where and when we're hosting the 2026 edition of Canada's biggest and boldest animal welfare conference.
Watch this recording to learn:
🐦 What the Toronto Wildlife Centre does
🐦 How wild bird populations are declining due to several threats, including window strikes
🐦 What we can start doing today in our own homes to prevent birds from colliding with our windows
🐦 Free resources you can access today through the FLAP Canada website.
April 9, 2025: From Captivity to Sanctuary: A conversation with The Whale Sanctuary Project
In this recording, you will learn:
🐳 An overview of The Whale Sanctuary Project. HINT: It involves a welcoming visitor centre in Nova Scotia, which is open to the public.
🆘 The urgent need for cetacean sanctuaries.
🐬 The collaborative effort with stakeholders, rights-holders, government and NGOs to create the sanctuary off the coast of Nova Scotia.
🌊 Changes and impacts regarding marine animal welfare and the global marine park and aquarium industry.
🐋 What attendees can expect during Alexandra's session at the upcoming Humane Canada's Summit for Animals conference in Montréal.
Enjoy the replay here.
April 7, 2025: The Ins and Outs of Mastering Media Relations
Lucas Solowey, Public Relations Manager at Toronto Humane Society, will deliver a workshop called "Mastering the Art of Media Pitches: How to Get Your Story Heard" at the Summit for Animals, and in this live stream recording, he gives us a sneak peek at his session 👀 by sharing:
✅ Why traditional media is still relevant even in a digital age.
✅ The elements that make a story newsworthy.
✅ What to do when journalists don't pick up your story. Hint: You'll need to pivot and reframe your pitch.
✅Examples of successful Toronto Humane Society public relations and media campaigns. Hint: It involves Taylor Swift and cats 🐱!
Enjoy watching this recording here.
March 31, 2025: Compassion-Driven Leadership and Inclusivity in the Animal Welfare Sector
Do you think we should lead from a place of compassion?
1️⃣ Yes
2️⃣ Definitely
3️⃣ Absolutely
We think so too!
To delve into this topic, chatted with José Ocaño, an inspiring Latino who helps leaders and teams navigate power, culture, and organizational change in ways that support the people doing the work—so they can keep doing it well.
José will present not one but TWO sessions on compassion-driven leadership and inclusivity at the 2025 Humane Canada’s Summit for Animals, and we give you an insiders look into his sessions on this live stream recording. Watch it here.
March 29, 2025: Engaging Young Men and Boys in Humane Education to Address "The Violence Link"
Join us for this livestream recording with Humane Canada's Promising Practices team, Sue O'Neill and Claire Dulude.
What role do boys and young men play in addressing and preventing "the violence link"? - the relationship between interpersonal violence and animal abuse.
Sue and Claire also discuss humane education, violence prevention, and the Promising Practices framework. Enjoy this replay and share it in your networks.
March 25, 2025: The Future of Animal Well-Being and Horse Care
🐴 What is the current landscape of horse welfare in Canada? Watch this live stream recording to find an answer to this question and more!
Dr. Shane Bateman joined us for an informative chat to talk about:
🐎 Horse welfare in Canada
🐴 A pioneering equine welfare assessment training program for animal welfare officers, horse show officials, and key stakeholders.
💯 Why we must continue investing in animal welfare science.
🔍 Veterinary forensics and how it can help prosecute animal abuse and cruelty cases.
🎤 Dr. Bateman's three co-panellists at the Summit for Animals
Dr. Shane Bateman is an emergency and critical care specialist at the Companion Animal Medical Complex and an Associate Professor of Clinical Studies at the Ontario Veterinary College. He also sits on the Board of Directors at Humane Canada and started his own veterinary forensic consulting business, Nine Lives Veterinary Consulting.
P.S. The Summit for Animals is SOLD OUT 🎟️🚫 We've enabled a waitlist to add your name if you want to attend this conference.
We also want to thank the Ontario Veterinary College for being a sponsor of the 2025 Humane Canada's Summit for Animals ❤️
March 21, 2025: Cultural Intelligence - The Key to Stronger Animal Welfare Leadership
You've probably heard of the term "emotional intelligence," right? How about CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE? 🤷♀️
If you haven't, that's ok! You're in for a treat with this live stream recording with veterinarian, mentor, empathy activist, podcast host, educator and conference speaker Dr. Azalia Boyd.
Watch this replay to learn:
❤️ What cultural intelligence means
❤️ Why being culturally aware is KEY to animal welfare leaders
❤️ A real-life example of how cultural intelligence played a KEY role in an animal welfare setting
❤️ The difference between ethnicity and culture
❤️ A breakthrough podcast, Dr. Boyd's, that explores the rich intersection of cultural diversity, animal welfare, veterinary medicine and the human-animal bond, Critters and Cultures 🎧Listen to the podcast on Spotify here, or watch on YouTube here.
P.S. We apologize for the technical difficulties we experienced at the end 😶. Thankfully, Dr. Boyd delivered a seamless closing professionally. C'est la vie, eh?
P.S.S. The Summit for Animals is SOLD OUT. Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket to Canada's biggest and boldest animal welfare conference. We can't wait to see you in Montréal this spring 🌸
March 17, 2025: Partnering with Communities to Prevent Violence Toward Humans and Animals
⛓ What if we could break the cycle of violence by engaging young men in humane education?
Watch this live stream recording with Alison Cuffley from The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada, where we explore the Violence Link, the connection between animal abuse and gender-based violence (GBV), and how abusers use the human-animal bond to control survivors.
🐶🐱 With 60% of Canadian households owning pets, Humane Canada is developing a Humane Education program to support the GBV sector. Learn how community-centred engagement and the Promising Practices program can empower boys, young men, and male-identifying youth to be part of the solution.
Alison is one of 100+ speakers at this year's #SummitForAnimals - meet them and all our speakers here.
March 11, 2025: Partnering with the private sector to advance farmed animal welfare in Canada
What role do private companies have as drivers for change for farmed animal welfare in our country? Watch the recording of this insightful live stream with Darren Vanstone, Managing Director at Ocatra, and Summit for Animals speaker.
Darren gives us a sneak peek into his upcoming conference panel, where he and three global leaders will discuss:
✅ The progress and challenges in Canada, examining industry trends in meat, dairy, and egg purchases
✅ The impact of corporate responsibility programs
✅ How NGOs, consultants, and public demand support this shift
✅ The complexities of balancing internal goals and external pressures
✅ Practical insights into fostering incremental change to envision a future where food companies actively contribute to sustainable, humane agriculture.
Ready to join us in Montréal from April 27 to 29? Register now - the conference is 90% sold out.
February 21, 2025: Marketing and Promoting Behaviourally Challenged Dogs
Watch this live stream recording to learn how to:
🐾 Craft transparent, positive messaging that highlights behaviourally challenged dogs' potential while being upfront about their needs.
🎯 Target adopters who are most likely to succeed with these dogs.
📢 Use success stories to build trust and boost engagement.
Johanna Mihoc and Marissa Hansen from Calgary Humane Society will present a session on this topic at Humane Canada's Summit for Animals in April. Meet all our speakers here.
February 18, 2025: Helping animals who need care the most through a vulnerable animal spectrum
Animals who come to our shelters often have different needs, so how do we ensure we are consistently caring for the most vulnerable animals?
In this live stream recording, Adrienne McBride, Senior Director, Community Animal Centres at the British Columbia SPCA (BC SPCA) shares:
☑️ An overview of BC SPCA's Vulnerable Animal Spectrum
☑️ How to develop your own spectrum for your organization, whether it be a shelter, humane society or SPCA
☑️ Which stakeholders are involved in the Vulnerable Animal Spectrum
☑️ How this spectrum can ultimately benefit more animals in our communities Join us at the #summitforanimals in Montréal this April to learn more about the vulnerable animal spectrum.
The conference is 90% sold out. Register now.
February 14, 2025: Veterinary Social Work in Animal Sheltering
Have you ever wondered how social work, veterinary medicine, and animal sheltering intersect to impact animals and humans 🐾
Dillon Dodson, Director of Social Work at Toronto Humane Society and Board Member of the International Association of Veterinary Social Work,
dives into how community support programming strengthens the human-animal bond and why it matters ethically and financially for shelters. Watch the replay here to learn about:
✔ The intersection of social work and animal welfare/sheltering
✔ The growing field of veterinary social workers in Canada
✔ The challenges and opportunities animal shelters have when integrating social work into their programs
February 11, 2025: Increase your donation revenue by asking the right questions!
Watch this live chat recording with Certified Fund Raising Executive Jenny Mitchell, founder and CEO of Chavender to learn how you could increase your donation revenue by:
✔️ Having meaningful conversations with your donors
✔️ Guiding your donor conversations
✔️ Approaching donor archetypes for maximum connection and engagement
Jenny gives us a sneak peek into her #SummitForAnimals workshop before it takes place on April 27th in Montréal.
Ready to learn more about fundraising? Register for Humane Canada's Summit for Animals and join us in Montréal.
September 16, 2024: Defender Radio and the Switch by The Fur Bearers - Speak at Humane Canada’s Summit for Animals
2024 SUMMIT FOR ANIMALS:
March 10, 2024: Nova Scotia SPCA PAWD’cast: The Mews on the Summit for Animals Conference with Humane Canada
March 18, 2024: Defender Radio by The Fur Bearers - Humane Canada’s Summit for Animals
March 20, 2024: The Street Dog Podcast - Ensuring Pet-Inclusive Support for Survivors of Violence
March 26, 2024: Dare to Care (Germany) - Vet Health Care x Indigenous Communities
April 8, 2024: The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement Blog - Member Spotlight: Get to Know Kathy Powelson
April 18, 2024: Animal Charity Evaluators Blog - Compassionate Connections: Bridging Companion and Animal Welfare
