Emergency Animal Protection Services

How to Report Animal Cruelty or Neglect

To report a suspected situation involving an animal that may be abused or neglected, and in distress, please contact us at 613-725-3166 ext. 224 or email us and provide the following information:

  • Your name, address and telephone number for our records.
  • The date, time and place (address) of the offence.
  • The registration number and description of any vehicle involved.
  • The investigator will need to ask you questions about the animal(s) involved to establish the full situation (i.e. the basic who, what, where, when, and why if possible). These will relate to what you have seen in relation to the animal's environment and its body condition.

It is OHS policy to treat all complaints in the strictest confidence. Your name will not be disclosed without your permission, but the OSPCA investigator will need to contact you if they need additional information.

The Ottawa Humane Society always aims to prevent cruelty through education and opts for court proceedings only as a last resort.

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Farm Animal Cruelty and Neglect

Emergency Animal Protection Services (EAPS) has trained agents and inspectors who investigate suspected cruelty and/or neglect of an animal. Agents or inspectors "remove" animal(s) with strict adherence to regulations under the Ontario Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (Ontario SPCA) Act. They may also lay charges where wilful neglect or abuse can be proven. Charges are laid under the Criminal Code of Canada, primarily sections 444 through 447.

Distress as defined in the OSPCA Act:
"Distress" means the state of being in need of proper care, water, food or shelter; or being injured, sick or in pain, or suffering; or being abused or subject to undue or unnecessary hardship, privation or neglect.

Incidences of farm animal neglect have increased over the years and Ottawa is no different than other communities across Canada. When dealing with a farm animal investigation we utilize the resources of our partner organizations  to assist us in assessing situations. Such resources include the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the specific livestock organizations involved. We utilize each industry's Codes of Practice to assist us in our investigations. (Codes of practice for each industry are recommendations rather than legislation, so cannot be enforced.)

Help influence legislation that will protect farm animals

Each year, more than 600 million Canadian animals travel long distances from the farm to auction and slaughter houses. These animals are loaded into commercial semi-trailer trucks for hours on end in extreme weather conditions. With such cramped conditions for extended periods of time, there can be no question that these animals suffer en route.

Other developed nations have enacted regulations to protect the welfare of farm animals in transit. Canada has been slow to react, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) – the federal body that oversees animal welfare during transportation and slaughter – has begun the process of revising its regulations. This may mean more humane transportation practices in Canada’s future.

  • Read more on Canada’s inadequate laws regarding animal transportation
  • Read a report on the issue from the BCSPCA, with integrated comments from the OSPCA and the CFHS
  • Add your support to our call for tougher laws! The BCSPCA will compile the comments and present them to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.