Fort Saskatchewan Mayor Gale Katchur has issued an apology following controversial remarks she made earlier this week regarding feral cats. During a Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, Katchur suggested throwing cats into the river in plastic bags, referencing a proposal by city staff to allocate feral cats to farms or outdoor residences.
Suggesting that people ‘deal with’ feral or ‘unwanted’ cats by drowning or suffocating them is not only shockingly cruel but also illegal, and deeply concerning coming from an elected official. Drowning or gassing cats violates animal cruelty laws, and is an unconscionable way to treat a sentient companion animal,” said Camille Labchuk, lawyer and executive director at Animal Justice.
The Edmonton Humane Society and the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals made a joint statement. “While we applaud the community for discussing responsible pet ownership bylaws, we
are incredibly disappointed anyone would make such callous comments about the
treatment of animals, let alone a community leader,” said Alberta SPCA Executive
Director Leanne Niblock.
“Decades of progress in animal welfare have provided effective, non-lethal solutions,
such as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), which help manage feral cat populations responsibly
and humanely,” said Edmonton Humane Society CEO, Liza Sunley
Katchur, who grew up on a farm, laughed as she made the remarks and added, “I hope that doesn’t get captured anywhere.” However, the meeting was publicly recorded and subsequently posted to the city’s YouTube channel, and eventually started circling the internet
In her apology statement, she said “Fort Saskatchewan is a city that embraces empathy, and I understand that my remarks did not align with the values of compassion and inclusivity that we strive to uphold. Our community deserves leadership that reflects these principles, and I am committed to learning from this experience.”
View the remarks here
