2024 Annual Report
Protecting animals from neglect, abuse and exploitation; advocating for their interests and ensuring their well-being; raising public awareness and helping to foster compassion for all sentient beings: this has been the mission of the Montreal SPCA for over 150 years. This work is the cornerstone of our organization and it guided our daily actions throughout 2024.
Our teams continue to go above and beyond to ensure that the Montreal SPCA is a safe haven for all the animals who set paw here. A brief overview of all the work we accomplished in 2024 is available through this annual report.
Thank you for your generosity
The SPCA is extremely grateful to its donors for their generosity. Without all of them, we would not have been able to ensure the well-being of the more than 13,076 sentient beings who passed through our shelter.
The Montreal SPCA is a registered charity that relies heavily on donations from the public to fulfill its mission (2024 contibutions: 65% of revenues; 2023 contributions: 68% of revenues; 2022 contributions: 69.4% of revenues; 2021 contributions: 70.1% of revenues; 2020 contributions: 63.4% of revenues; 2019 contributions: 60.6% of revenues).
In 2023, we were able to pursue our mission thanks to the generosity of our supporters.
Abandonment prevention and shelter stay reduction program
The Montreal SPCA innovates by offering concrete resources to prevent shelter stays, significantly reducing the stress animals experience (becoming a foster family for your own pet while we find a new home, temporarily hosting lost or injured animals, encouraging direct adoption between individuals).
The Palliative Program
Our Palliative Care Program was created to ensure that even animals suffering from a terminal illness have the chance to live in a welcoming home. We make their last days as comfortable and peaceful as possible by placing them in permanent foster homes and providing them with all the necessary support and medical care.
Giving Back to the Community
Thanks to donations, we are able to help not only the animals in our care at the shelter, but also animals living with vulnerable people. Our special shelter program helps people in unstable situations get back on their feet while we provide a temporary home for their animals, and our food bank distributes food to animals in need.
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The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) granted permanent authorization for dogs to ride the metro in December. This follows a pilot project launched after our “Fido in the Metro” campaign, which collected nearly 18,000 signatures in 2022. (2024)
In October 2024, Bill 67 was passed to amend the Professional Code. Among other things, it allows veterinarians working in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to provide services directly to the public. (2024)
Obtaining intervener status in a dispute brought before the Tribunal administratif du logement, challenging the validity of clauses prohibiting animals in residential leases (2023).
Provincial ban on gas chambers as well as cat declawing and other non-therapeutic surgeries performed on companion animals as a consequence of our lobbying and public campaign efforts (2022)
Montreal’s ban on horse-drawn carriages and adoption of the most progressive animal bylaw in the entire province, as a result of pressure exerted by our team (2018).
Successful fight against legislation targeting certain dog breeds at the municipal (Montreal) and provincial levels, including a lawsuit against the City of Montreal, sustained government relations efforts, as well as large-scale awareness campaigns (2016-2018).
Adoption of a new provision in the Civil Code of Québec recognizing animals as sentient beings (art. 898.1) and adoption of the Animal Welfare and Safety Act, the first provincial law entirely devoted to animal protection in Quebec, in response to our “Animals are not Things” campaign (2015).
