Target: Suzanne Kendall KC, Chief Prosecutor, Regional Prosecution Office South, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Goal: Pursue indictable prosecutions where supported, seek maximum penalties with long prohibition orders, counseling, and restitution amid a sharp rise in reported cruelty and few charges.
Reports describe a steep jump in police‑reported animal cruelty incidents in Calgary. Nine in 2022 reportedly became sixty‑four in 2024. Only thirteen people were charged last year, despite widespread complaints. That gap leaves abused animals unprotected and communities anxious.
Frontline agencies reportedly handle one thousand to twelve hundred files every year. Those files reputedly include violent strikes, abandonment, starvation, filthy confinement, and heat exposure. Many victims arrive dehydrated, emaciated, or terrified. Some cases allegedly involve domestic violence spillover, where pets suffer alongside human partners.
Stronger charging practices can change outcomes. Federal law permits jail, fines, restitution, and ownership bans. Provincial legislation adds heavy fines plus restrictions. Prosecutors should prioritize indictable paths for serious acts, seek consecutive terms where allowed, require counseling, and secure lifetime bans for repeat or egregious offenders.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Chief Prosecutor Kendall,
We are alarmed by reports showing a surge in police‑reported animal cruelty incidents in Calgary while charges remain comparatively low. Communities witness battered, abandoned, and neglected pets, yet outcomes reportedly lag. That mismatch demands a firmer prosecutorial stance.
We respectfully urge your office to proceed whenever evidence supports willful cruelty, pursue maximum sentences, and request consecutive terms where statutes permit. Please also seek long prohibition orders, ideally lifetime for aggravated or repeat conduct, along with counseling requirements and restitution covering veterinary care, boarding, and rehabilitation.
Coordinated guidance with investigators can tighten evidence on heat exposure, abandonment, and co‑occurring domestic violence. Visible, consistent prosecution will deter future harm, restore public confidence, and safeguard vulnerable animals across Calgary.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Pixabay
