WEST CARLETON – The Ontario Society for the Prevent of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) is out of the enforcement business.

Ontario’s animal welfare agency has notified the provincial government it will no longer investigate and enforce animal cruelty laws.

The decision comes two months after an Ontario judge struck down the OSPCA’s authority over such matters, although the two are not necessarily related as the OSPCA stated at that time, it did not have the necessary funding for enforcement.

The OSPCA told the province yesterday (March 3) it will not sign a new contract after the current one expires at the end of March.

The OSPCA’s CEO Kate MacDonald told The Canadian Press the current model is no longer working.

She says the organization will shift into a support role in animal cruelty investigations, providing animal shelter, forensic evidence collection and veterinary services.

MacDonald says all the enforcement officers will be shifted to this new support side or to the organization’s expanding animal rescue arm.

The OSPCA has enforced animal cruelty laws in Ontario for the past 100 years.