{"id":57893,"date":"2025-08-07T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spca.com\/?p=57893"},"modified":"2025-08-22T10:47:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T14:47:02","slug":"the-montreal-spca-calls-on-the-government-of-quebec-to-include-animals-in-emergency-management-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spca.com\/en\/the-montreal-spca-calls-on-the-government-of-quebec-to-include-animals-in-emergency-management-plans\/","title":{"rendered":"The Montreal SPCA Calls on the government of Quebec to Include Animals in Emergency Management Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Press release\u2013For immediate release\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Montreal SPCA calls on the government of Quebec to include animals in emergency management plans<\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A new poll reveals that 86% of Quebecers living with a dog or cat would refuse to evacuate their home without their animal in the event of a disaster<\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Montreal, August 7th 2025\u202f\u2013 The Montreal SPCA is launching a campaign today called An emergency plan for the whole family<\/em>, asking the provincial government to include animals in all levels of disaster planning and response.<\/strong> This comes as a new L\u00e9ger poll confirms how important it is to include animals in government emergency plans, not only for the animals themselves, but also for human safety. The organization is inviting the public to sign a letter<\/a> on its website addressed to the Minister of Public Security, who is currently reviewing a key civil security regulation.\u00a0<\/p>

It is undeniable that extreme weather events are intensifying and becoming more and more common. The devastation caused this summer by floods in Texas and wildfires in Western Canada reminds us that no one is immune. Yet the Quebec government\u2019s emergency management plans have a significant shortcoming: they do not take animals into account.\u00a0<\/p>

According to a 2023 L\u00e9ger survey, 52% of Quebec households include a dog or cat. Despite this, animals are left out of the provincial emergency planning and response framework.\u00b9<\/p>

\u201cAlthough the Quebec government regulates municipalities\u2019 responsibilities when it comes to civil security, nothing in the current regulations requires municipalities to include animals in their evacuation or emergency response plans,\u201d<\/strong> explains Sophie Gaillard, Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Government Affairs at the Montreal SPCA. \u201cThis regulatory gap means that whether or not animals are provided for in the event of a disaster varies from municipality to municipality, depending on local will, a situation that exposes thousands of animals\u2014and the people who care about them\u2014to avoidable risks,\u201d she emphasizes.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A matter of public safety<\/strong><\/p>

According to a L\u00e9ger poll conducted last week on behalf of the SPCA, 86% of Quebecers living with a dog or cat would refuse to evacuate their home without their animal in the event of a disaster.\u00b2<\/strong><\/p>

The Quebec government itself recognizes this risk factor, stating that \u201cduring a disaster, some people refuse to evacuate their homes because they are unwilling to abandon their companion animals.\u201d\u00b3 Scientific literature, expert opinion, and experience in the field confirm that failing to adequately provide for animals during a disaster can cause people to put themselves in danger to stay with their animals or rescue them, thereby also jeopardizing the safety of responders.<\/strong><\/p>

Being forcibly separated from one\u2019s animal or the animal dying during a disaster also has significant emotional impacts and can hinder the psychological recovery of disaster victims.<\/p>

\u201cThe exclusion of animals from emergency management plans poses a direct threat to public safety,\u201d<\/strong> insists Gaillard. “The Quebec government is currently reviewing its civil security regulations. It is urgent and imperative that it follow the example of other jurisdictions, such as British Columbia, which have integrated animals into their disaster planning and response plans,” she adds.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What the SPCA is asking for<\/strong><\/p>

The Montreal SPCA is calling on the Quebec government to formally include animals in emergency management plans throughout the province, namely by:<\/p>