NEW!
NEW! A toll-free hotline is now available province-wide*, 24/7. If you witness animal cruelty, report it now at 1-855-711-7575.
Every year, the Montreal SPCA’s Investigations Division receives thousands of complaints and reports.
In 2025, our Investigations Division:
- Processed over 13,699 inquiries.
- Opened 1,795 operational files, including 469 files relating to the Criminal Code.
- Removed 77 animals from their environment.
- Executed 28 warrants and court orders.
* Our new hotline is intended for reporting cases of cruelty that violate the Criminal Code. If you see an animal outside the Greater Montreal area in an unacceptable situation or receiving inadequate care, please contact the ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) at 1-844-ANIMAUX instead.
Montreal SPCA animal protection officers are authorized to enforce:
— The provisions of the Criminal Code dealing with crimes against animals province-wide
— Quebec’s provincial animal welfare legislation, namely the Animal Welfare and Safety Act and the Regulation respecting the welfare and safety of domestic companion animals and equines. For this latter mandate, the territory covered by the animal protection officers includes the Island of Montreal, Laval and part of Montérégie, Lanaudière, the Laurentians, Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec. For incidents outside of this territory covered by the Montreal SPCA’s Investigations Division, please contact the ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec: at 1-844-ANIMAUX (1-844-264-6289) or at centraledesignalement@mapaq.gouv.qc.ca.
FAQ
The Montreal SPCA recognizes the importance of impartiality and the absence of conflicts of interest in all actions or interventions carried out in the course of its law enforcement activities. Our organizational structure, our management methods and the relationship between our investigations division and our other services allow us to maintain the impartiality necessary to our law enforcement activities.
To make a complaint regarding the work of a Montreal SPCA animal protection officer, please write to plainteinspection@spca.com or communicate directly with the ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec by filling out this form. All complaints are treated confidentially.
