By Amy Sedlezky
One year after paying $19,000 for a report suggesting improvements, the Ottawa Humane Society is still waiting on its board of directors to decide when a public consultation will take place to help implement the new ideas.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) produced the report last April that suggested improvements on things like care, management, sheltering, and education programs. The report was issued in August 2001 and the board of directors was slated to discuss the recommendations at an October meeting, but it was delayed.
It was thought plans for the consultation would be finalized by the end of March, but executive director Bruce Roney says they are still not at that stage. He blames a busy fundraising season during November and December, year-end wrap-up, and the election of a new board of directors last month for the delay.
“Staff time is devoted to the day-to-day needs of animal care and we rely on volunteers for our board. Unfortunately, sometimes that results in a slow process,”says Roney.
A meeting of the board on April 2 yielded no further results, and some Ottawa residents think that after a year, they have waited long enough and they want to see changes.
Lisa Larwill, a current member of the society, sees money management and a lack of vision as major problems.
“I get the impression that everything is really willy-nilly,” she says.“And they don’t have the best reputation. A lot of people think the shelter just kills animals.”
Larwill says the society seems to be in reactive mode,while the board is reluctant to take steps unless they are pushed into it.
“I think the consultation has been put off because the society doesn’t want to know what people will say,” says Larwill. “And I think they’re going to be shocked by the public’s perception.”
Roney doesn’t know what to expect from public opinion, but acknowledges this is an area of input that is missing.
“What people feel seems to be all over the place,” says Roney. “No theme has developed that I’ve noticed. But there are some fundamental questions that have to be answered.”
New board president Robin Jackson says there are two models being considered for the public consultation, but at this point, it is premature to talk of concrete plans.
“It’s a fairly big undertaking,” says Jackson. “Money is needed, and right now we’re looking into grants we can apply for.”
Roney says the consultation will possibly involve a mail-out survey. He says the society will probably lack the money to send the survey out en masse. So it will most likely be sent to stakeholders, broader public focus groups, and other supporters — “people who are truly interested in the care and welfare of animals,” says Roney.