Paw & Order

Episode 91 of the Paw & Order episode doubles as our annual holiday special, as well as the bittersweet wrap up of the Paw & Order podcast, after four incredible years. In this episode, hosts Camille, Peter, and Jessica take part in their super fun annual 12 holiday “gifts” giveaway to deserving recipients, & reflect on their time hosting the podcast, including some of their favourite moments.

In Episode 90 of the Paw & Order podcast, hosts Camille Labchuk and Peter Sankoff discuss the groundbreaking Alberta Court of Appeal decision in R v Chen, in which Animal Justice was an intervenor. The appeal involves the appropriate approach to sentencing in criminal animal cruelty cases. The Court held that because animals are sentient beings that experience pain and suffering, crimes against them are crimes of violence and should be treated differently from property offences. In this episode, Camille and Peter also announce that the Paw & Order podcast is wrapping up at the end of 2021, after four wonderful years. The hosts give a heartfelt thanks to the incredible listeners, and everyone who came together to make the show possible, and reflect on some of the show's big accomplishments.

In episode 89 of the Paw & Order podcast, Jessica Scott-Reid interviews Jane Dalton, a UK journalist who writes about animal issues at the Independent. Jessica and Jane discuss how Jane was able work with a major publication and report on animal welfare, giving animals a much-needed voice in the media.

November 2, 2021 In episode 88 of Paw & Order, hosts Camille Labchuk and Jessica Scott-Reid dive into the concept of legal personhood for animals. Animals are primarily viewed as […]

October 19, 2021 In Episode 87 of the Paw & Order podcast, hosts Camille Labchuk and Jessica Scott-Reid dive into (mostly) good news stories for animals that are making major […]

This episode of the Paw & Order podcast is brought to you LIVE from the 2021 Canadian Animal Law Conference, which was held virtually from October 1-3, 2021! Just like last year's conference, hosts Camille Labchuk, Peter Sankoff, and Jessica Scott-Reid took this special opportunity to come together to host an exciting show.

Episode 85 of the Paw & Order podcast features an interview with lawyer Chris Rudnicki. Chris is representing Animal Justice in an important case about appropriate sentencing principles that apply in animal cruelty cases. The case is R v Chen, involving a man who pleaded guilty to violently beat his dog, in which Animal Justice is an intervenor at the Alberta Court of Appeal.

Episode 84 of the Paw & Order podcast features an interview with Edie Bowles, a solicitor and the co-founder of Advocates for Animals, the UK’s first-ever law firm dedicated to animal protection. Edie is currently representing the non-profit organization The Humane League in a groundbreaking case challenging the use of fast-growing chicken breeds in UK farms. The group has filed a judicial review over the government’s failure to prevent the use of commercial chicken breeds that are designed to grow unnaturally large and unnaturally fast. These fast-growing chickens experience a multitude of health problems, and their use may be unlawful under the UK’s animal protection legislation. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for how chickens are raised for meat in the UK.

Episode 83 of the Paw & Order podcast features ALL three hosts: Camille Labchuk, Peter Sankoff, and Jessica Scott-Reid—who are back from their summer break! The show deep dives into an interesting dog custody case, Duboff v. Simpson, including some important comments made by the judge that could help influence future pet custody cases. The case involves two Toronto lawyers who fought for custody over a boxer named Layla. Under the law, pets are seen as merely property—making pet custody cases complex and often unpredictable.

In Episode 82 of the Paw & Order podcast, Camille Labchuk interviews Thompson Rivers University Associate Professor of Law Katie Sykes about her new book, Animal Welfare and International Trade Law: The Impact of the WTO Seal Case. Katie discusses the history of the World Trade Organization and its trade agreements in relation to animal welfare, and gives an in-depth analysis of the EU ban on the sale of seal products, and why this ban was an important shift demonstrating that animal welfare issues have their place in trade exemptions that address public morals and changing, progressive attitudes.

Episode 81 of the Paw & Order podcast is hosted by Jessica Scott-Reid and guest co-host Kaitlyn Mitchell, a staff lawyer at Animal Justice. In this episode, Jessica and Kaitlyn interview Dr. Jason Hannan, a professor at the University of Winnipeg, and the co-chair of Winnipeg VegFest. They discuss Dr. Hannan’s recently published book, Meatsplaining, The Animal Agriculture Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial, exploring strategies used by the animal agriculture industry to avoid public scrutiny for its harm to animals, our health, and the environment.

June 1, 2021 In Episode 80 of the Paw & Order podcast, Camille Labchuk interviews Casey Bond, the communications manager at the animal advocacy research non-profit Faunalytics, to discuss their groundbreaking […]

In Episode 79 of the Paw & Order podcast, co-hosts Camille Labchuk and Jessica Scott-Reid speak with Dr. Charu Chandrasekera. Dr. Chandrasekera is the founder of the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM) at Windsor University, an internationally recognized research centre working to develop alternatives to animal testing. The interview explores why traditional animal testing is an outdated form of research that often produces poor results, why modern alternatives to animal testing focusing on human biology are more efficient, the exciting work that CCAAM is doing to develop these alternatives, and why it's time for Canada to do more to support alternatives to animal testing and to develop these lifesaving technologies.

In Episode 78 of the Paw & Order podcast, Camille Labchuk and Peter Sankoff go deep into top stories that are affecting animals right now from both Canada and across the globe. This include an exciting new announcement from the Canadian government that it will be moving away from toxicity tests on animals in an overhaul of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Laurentian University killing about 200 innocent animals amid lab closures, two cases of a rare swine flu found in people in Manitoba, New Zealand ending the live export of animals by sea over animal welfare concerns, a Nova Scotia breeder acquitted of animal cruelty charges, Alberta ending funding for a group working to help businesses develop in the plant-based protein sector, the CFIA announcing new import rules for dogs, and the B.C. government continuing to kill wolves to “protect” caribou—when wolves aren’t even responsible for decline in caribou populations.

Episode 77 of the Paw & Order podcast is co-hosted by Jessica Scott-Reid along with a special guest co-host, Kaitlyn Mitchell, who's a staff lawyer at Animal Justice. Jessica and Kaitlyn dive into pressing news involving animals, including an animal advocate being acquitted of a criminal charge after exposing horrific conditions at an Ontario fur farm, an activist with Direct Action Everywhere in the U.S. being charged under Iowa’s new ag gag law, Kaitlyn’s interview in the Winnipeg Free Press regarding ag gag bills in Manitoba, and Animal Justice filing a cruelty complaint after 6 hens were found alive on top of a pile of thousands of dead flock mates who were dumped in a Manitoba landfill.

In Episode 76 of the Paw & Order podcast, co-hosts Camille Labchuk and Jessica Scott-Reid deep dive into the ethics of getting vaccines that have been tested on animals—which is an especially hot (and rightfully sensitive) topic as we grapple with the global pandemic. They discuss why animal testing is outdated and less effective than modern alternative methods, why research animals are often unprotected by cruelty laws and deserve protection, what types of animal tests leading research companies have been doing to develop COVID-19 vaccines, what animal-derived ingredients go into these vaccines, what’s really going on with a ‘plant-based’ vaccine being developed in Canada, and why animal advocates should still consider getting vaccinated although animal testing is a requirement, so they can stay in good health, help end the global pandemic, and keep on fighting to make change for animals.

In episode 75 of the Paw & Order podcast, co-hosts Camille Labchuk and Peter Sankoff give an analysis of three Canadian dog abuse cases that are making headlines right now. This includes a case from Newfoundland involving man who was acquitted of cruelty charges because the court ruled he didn’t “wilfully” starve his beagles into emaciation, a puppy mill breeder acquitted of cruelty charges in Nova Scotia, and a dog abuse case being appealed in Alberta to determine appropriate sentencing. Animal Justice will seek leave to intervene in this important case to highlight what principles of sentencing actually matter to animals.

Episode 74 of the Paw & Order podcast features an in-depth interview with Calvin Neufeld, the founder of Evolve Our Prison Farms, and Dr. Amy Fitzgerald, a criminologist, expert in using prison labour in animal agriculture, and an associate professor with the department of sociology, anthropology, and criminology at the university of Windsor. In the interview, Calvin and Dr. Amy discuss their work to put a stop to goat milk factory farm, which is planned to open at a federal prison in Kingston, Ontario.

February 19, 2021 In this episode of the Paw & Order podcast, Camille Labchuk and Peter Sankoff catch up on what’s new, including Peter planning to attend an Animal Justice […]

Episode 72 of the Paw & Order podcast features an exciting and energetic interview with vegan CFL player John Rush, who plays with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Because of the pandemic, the Blue Bombers haven’t been able to play this year, but John hasn’t missed a beat. He’s been using his free time to launch an awesome vegan food blog: Rescue Dog Kitchen. John discusses what it’s like being a vegan pro athlete, his journey to the movement, and how he uses the blog and his social media, which prominently features his huge rescued dogs Bone and Bailey, to advocate for animals and plant-based eating.