Press release — for immediate release
Cruelty Against Animals: The Montreal SPCA Calls for Support
Montréal, February 17, 2026 – Helping animal victims of cruelty and severe neglect takes up a lot of the SPCA’s resources. Today, the Montreal SPCA is launching a fundraising campaign to be able to offer its protégés the best care and to intervene quickly when criminal offences occur.
The Montreal SPCA’s Investigations Division is tasked with enforcing the laws that protect animals. Its intervention in cases involving offences under provincial law is supported by the ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ).
However, it’s public donations that enable the SPCA to fund the Investigations Division’s enforcement of the Criminal Code, in cases of cruelty or severe neglect.
“Some animals come to us in an extremely worrying physical and psychological state,” explained Sylvie Bourbonnière, the SPCA’s new executive director. “Giving them a second chance requires specialized human resources, complex medical care and constant support.” Though Bourbonnière only started recently, she says she has already been deeply affected by a recent case of cruelty.
A dog shot near Matane: The Montreal SPCA investigates
On February 8, a dog with gunshot wounds was discovered on the 6e Rang in Saint-Léandre, near Matane. Images of the bloodied animal spread over social media, sparking outrage. Officers from the Montreal SPCA’s Investigations Division travelled to the Bas St-Laurent region to rescue the dog and open a case. The pup is currently receiving the care needed at the Montreal clinic, while the Investigations Division rigorously handles the case to shed light on the circumstances.
The SPCA’s new emergency hotline hasn’t stopped ringing
Since launching its hotline* last fall, the Montreal SPCA has received nearly three times as many calls reporting animal cruelty or neglect. In December and January alone, reports led the Investigations Division to open 288 cases, which is 38% more than in the same period of the previous year.
Bourbonnière is not surprised. “Public awareness about animal welfare is on the rise. Easier reporting means people contact us more quickly when they see an act of animal cruelty.”
Help animal victims of cruelty
Anyone wishing to support the cause can donate to the Montreal SPCA. The funds raised enable the organization to provide animals who have been victims of cruelty with specialized care and to ensure that investigations are carried out diligently under the Criminal Code’s provisions for crimes against animals.
Online: www.spca.com
Phone: 1-866-888-7722
* The Montreal SPCA’s Investigations Division hotline complements the MAPAQ’s hotline. While the Ministry enforces provincial animal welfare legislation, the Montreal SPCA handles animal cruelty cases under the Criminal Code.
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Source : Montreal SPCA www.spca.com/en/
Media information:
Tök communications 514 247-0526
Marie-Hélène Avon, mariehelene@tokcommunications.ca
About the Montreal SPCA
Founded in Montreal in 1869, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (better known as “Montreal SPCA”) was the first animal welfare organization in Canada. The SPCA has come a long way since: it is now the largest animal protection organization in Quebec and speaks on behalf of animals wherever they face ignorance, cruelty, exploitation or neglect.
