Ontario's Wildfires Prove It: Canada Needs a Plan for Pets in Emergencies

This summer, northern Ontario is burning. Nearly 200 wildfires have forced thousands of families to evacuate with minutes to spare. Communities have been destroyed. And across the province, animals are being left behind - not because their families don't love them, but because Canada's emergency system was never built to keep them together.

This is not a hypothetical. This is happening right now. And it is preventable.

The Gap in Canada's Law

Canada's Emergency Management Act has not been updated since 2007. It makes no mention of animals. There are no national protocols for evacuating pets, no resources for first responders to help, and no plan to keep families together when disaster strikes.

When evacuation flights have no capacity for animals and emergency shelters are overwhelmed, families face an impossible situation. Volunteer rescue organizations are scrambling to fill the gap - sending hundreds of animals to foster homes across Ontario with no federal support and no national framework behind them. They are doing the government's job. For free.

We Are Not Alone in Calling for Change

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Humane Canada recently issued a press release urging the federal government to include animal response in emergency management, directly referencing the wildfires devastating communities across Ontario. Their message is clear - this is not a fringe concern. It is a mainstream expectation that Canadians have of their government.

We know change is possible. British Columbia has already passed legislation requiring local authorities to include a plan for the evacuation and care of animals in emergencies. Canada's federal government needs to do the same.

What We Are Asking For

At the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA, we are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister of Emergency Management Eleanor Olszewski to amend the Emergency Management Act to:

• Formally include animals in all federal emergency management and response plans
• Support evacuees with animals during disasters and emergencies
• Ensure first responders have the training and resources to help animals in crisis

What You Can Do

We have written the letter. All you need to do is add your name. Every message sent to Ottawa helps demonstrate that Canadians expect better - for their families and for their pets.

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When disaster strikes, no animal should be left behind.