From Toronto Star, Embattled Trow to leave Humane Society
Controversial former Toronto Humane Society president Tim Trow will resign from the THS board of directors, a lawyer for the organization said Tuesday.
Marcie Laking, a prominent Trow critic who co-organized summer protests in which participants demanded Trow’s departure, raised Trow’s decision but said she hoped the rest of the board followed suit.
Longtime Trow ally Bob Hambley is now THS president.
“Bob Hambley needs to go too,” Laking said. “The whole board should resign...If they care about the reputation of the Toronto Humane Society, and they want the Toronto Humane Society to be fixed, they should leave with him.”
It almost seems anti-climactic. There were still rumblings amongst the faithful about how Trow was going to come back, and who knows, he still might. After all, his most recent tenure was a comeback from his first attempt at heading the THS. But for many of the people still involved and newly involved with the THS, it hasn't been about Trow for a while now. It's been about how to do better.
Trow may be gone but now the really hard work begins. His old ways of thinking and running the shelter are still pervasive. Everything from animal care and welfare to governance to facilities renewal to fair and respectful treatment of staff and volunteers needs to be looked at - and it is. All the bad old ways are going to be challenged. The curtains have been lifted. Now to get the windows and doors open.
Yes, it's time to move on.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
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10 comments:
Hate to be a cynic but d'ya think it is part of a plea bargain, a bargaining chip perhaps....hahahhaha. Course not..hahahahh
I think it's actually the first smart thing the THS has done.
Trow was a lame duck anyway - no way he was coming back. By resigning today, he draws media attention away from the damning interim results of the court case vs. the OSPCA.
"The materials filed before me raise serious questions as to whether the THS has been operating its animal care facility in accordance with the prescribed standards of care."
"I find troubling such unwillingness by a charitable corporation to provide clear, transparent information in response to an inquiry from the public agency authorized by statute to make such inquiries" [re: OPGT]
"I conclude that the evidence raises serious questions as to whether the THS is managing its financial resources in a manner appropriate to pursuing its charitable purposes."
D.M. Brown J. - January 26, 2010
THAT'S what the media should focus on, IMHO
I ask that whoever posted the quotations above, or the blog author to post a link to Judge Brown's ruling. I read reports from 1971 about Alan Johnson and Joan Milne and Bud Walters (who are still on the board) managing the finances of the THS. Shortly after they came into office, the City of Toronto came a hair's breadth away from taking away their financing over poor animal care, lack of staff, etc...
The "old way" of thinking at the THS, as the blog author mentions, is not thinking at all. There are no guidelines with respect to anything - picture putting people with no animal care experience in charge of a shelter who think more like it's caring for a pet, rather than managing resources, organizational problems, volunteers and staff. I fear what will happen when and if the OSPCA leaves. It will be the blind leading the blind again.
There are at times more managers and supervisors and senior shelter administrators then there are animal care workers and vets put together. I leave it to a diligent reporter, or anyone to ask the operations manager his credentials (and "Tim hired me" is not a credential).
Anonymous, I couldn't possibly post the majority of your comment since much of what you allege is still before the courts.
Dear Anonymous...here is the link
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/monitor-to-review-toronto-humane-society-finances/article1445060/?service=mobile
Justice Brown is a perceptive man..."said that the THS's legal bills, including a lengthy appeal of revoked animal care orders in a bid to recover a few hundred dollars, raised “serious questions" pertaining to the THS's senior management and its board of directors."
That could very well be the end of the board......
This could indeed very well be the end of the board, the end of the Johnson Gang, Joan Milne and Alan Johnson, the end of Bud Walters and Bob Hambley - there 40 year rein of mismanagment, allegations of stealing donation money and hiring friend-consultants and themselves, and now to top off this fine career, animal cruelty. My first thought is with the animals whom they allowed to live in agony, my second with the employees who spoke up and were vilified and impoverished even. My final thought is that it is too bad these people aren't younger, so that when they are convicted, they have but a few years of shame left.
Now, will the rest of the board please retire? Will the rest of the high-paid managers, supervisors and administrators please have a little shame and leave? If any of these people have any shame, if they care anything about animals, they would allow people who give a damn to really take care of animals.
It's pleasant to hear of Trow's resignation, but even more pleasant to hear of the independent financial review by a third-party chartered accountant.
Can't wait to hear the results.
Lest we think the OSPCA is more transparent or accountable than the THS....
MPP Peter Kormos July 2008 comments on the OSPCA's refusal to release its bylaws to the public:
"...people have got grievances with the OSPCA. There are concerns about transparency; people are complaining about an inability to access things as mundane as OSPCA bylaws...You are an arm of the government, so to speak, although a private agency, very much in the same way that family and children’s services is a private body but is a transfer payment agency and does governmentally determined or amended work. For Pete’s sake, that just causes so much grief when people come and say, “We can’t see the bylaws.” ..People give you money, trusting that you’re a non-profit. Let them look at the bylaws, Lord love a duck. ...PUBLIC FUNDS MEAN PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY."
I strongly believe the enforcement of consistant provincial animal welfare standards, appropriate governance, corporate structure and fiscal restraint requires accountabilty, transparency and independent oversight not just of the THS, but ESPECIALLY OF THE OSPCA, THE self funded provincially appointed umbrella and enforcement organization.
Thanks to whomever posted the hansards above (btw, hansards don't capitalize; but I do recognize the quote, lord love a duck). The THS used the PAW hearings to critique the OSPCA - critiquing them for the very same things the THS does, and does far worse. Yes, so it's the pot calling the kettle black, but do not let that dissuade people from the evidence presented in the Hammer articles, the countless witnesses in the Hammer articles in the Globe, and in other media; the prima facie case of so few animal care workers for so many animals; the evidence of mismanagement and assignment of positions, etc...
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