Media releases

• Prime Minister to host town hall at Brock University

  Wednesday, January 09, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 9 January 2019 – R00004

  On Jan. 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will make Brock University one of the stops on his upcoming tour of town hall talks.

  As he has done in each of the past two years, the Prime Minister is travelling across the country to meet with Canadians and hear directly from communities about what they have to say about building a strong future. He is set to kick off the tour Wednesday in Kamloops, B.C.

  The town hall tour will come to St. Catharines at Brock University’s Ian Beddis Gymnasium Tuesday, Jan. 15 starting at 7 p.m.

  “It is truly an honour to welcome the Prime Minister back to the Niagara region,” said Niagara Centre MP Vance Badawey. “This town hall is a terrific opportunity for the residents of Niagara Centre and throughout the region to be a part of the democratic process and make their voices heard. Please join us.”

  The event is open to everyone including Brock students, faculty and staff, as well as the wider Niagara community.

  “This town hall tour has been taking place for the past few years across Canada. I am excited that this year Niagara residents will have their opportunity to pose questions directly to Prime Minister Trudeau,” said St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle.

  Brock President Gervan Fearon said it is “tremendous news” that Niagara region has been selected as a site for the Prime Minister’s meetings and encouraged residents to attend and be part of the dialogue.

  “Supporting the Niagara community is one of Brock’s top priorities and we’re honoured to have the opportunity to host a dialogue with the Prime Minister,” said Fearon. “We’re excited that he chose Niagara for one of these important town hall events.”

  Doors open at 5 p.m. and those wishing to attend should expect to enter a queue in front of the Ian Beddis Gymnasium early to secure a seat.

  Parking on campus will be limited, so carpooling or taking public transit is encouraged. There will be a mandatory coat check on site as large bags and coats will not be permitted.

  Media parking will be in Lot P. Requests for media credentials should be made through Media@pmo-cpm.gc.ca

  For more information, including parking maps, visit the Brock University website.

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Public invited to participate in Brock research survey on future of animal cruelty investigations

  Tuesday, January 08, 2019 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 8 January 2019 – R00003

  A Brock University Labour Studies professor is looking for the public’s views on how Ontario should handle animal cruelty investigations and humane law enforcement in the future.

  Kendra Coulter, Chair of Brock’s Labour Studies Department, is leading a larger research project examining different approaches to animal cruelty enforcement.

  Coulter launched a survey Tuesday, Jan. 8, asking for the public’s input on a variety of possible enforcement models and key related issues.

  The anonymous survey is available at stopanimalcruelty.ca. It’s open to adult residents of Ontario, takes about 10 minutes to complete and will be online until the end of January.

  The launch of the survey comes a week after an Ontario Superior Court judge deemed the current model for enforcement by the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) unconstitutional and gave the province one year to make changes.

  Coulter says most laws are enforced by public police agencies. However, when it comes to crimes against animals, in Ontario, those duties are currently assigned to the OSPCA and its affiliate humane societies, which are charities.

  “As a private entity, the OSPCA must fundraise and is not subject to the same level of oversight as public agencies and police forces,” she says.

  In the fall, the OSPCA also announced that it would be backing away from investigations involving horses and farmed animals due to a lack of resources.

  “The provincial government will be making significant decisions in the coming months with wide-reaching impacts for animals, the public, front-line officers and the web of animal-care providers,” Coulter says. “I hope such decisions will be informed by evidence and expert insight, but also reflect the priorities of the public.”

  Coulter plans to release a public report once the survey results are compiled and analyzed.

  “The findings will be of interest to the Ontario government as it examines next steps,” she says. “The people of Ontario care deeply about animals. This is an opportunity to create an effective, well-coordinated, and properly funded cruelty investigations model.”

  Kendra Coulter, Chair of the Department of Labour Studies and Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence, is available for interviews about the research.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases