THANK YOU MONIKA REKOLA & MIDLAND TODAY .CA

THANK YOU MONIKA REKOLA & MIDLAND TODAY .CA

UPDATE ON 13 ANIMAL WELFARE SERVICES CHARGES STEPHANIE REDLICK IS FACING 

We really can’t thank Monika Rekola enough for continuing to follow the Stephanie Redlick story and for giving cases like these the attention they deserve.

Today’s article brings readers up to date on the 13 Animal Welfare Services charges Redlick is facing, as well as providing an update on one of the criminal court cases.

You can read more about that particular criminal case here.

And please take a few minutes to read today’s article in Midland Today .ca here.

P.S. There is something else in the article that we hope people will pay close attention to.

Ban Horse Slaughter has launched a DONE-FOR-YOU EMAIL campaign calling for a change to Ontario’s animal-welfare legislation.  SCROLL DOWN – see the CALL TO ACTION for details.  It takes less than 2 minutes to complete and send.

SEIZURE AND/OR CHARGES DO NOT MEAN A BAN ON HORSE OWNERSHIP

Originally published June 2025 – updated June 2026.

JOIN US IN ASKING FOR…

Temporary, court-reviewable restrictions on animal ownership until charges are resolved which would align animal welfare with protections already accepted in other areas of law.

SERIOUS LOOPHOLE

Sixteen horses were seized from Stephanie Redlick.  (AKA Stephanie Alessia.)

One was so badly neglected he had to be euthanized.  One mare gave birth after being seized.

The surviving 16 horses will NOT be returned to her, and taxpayers are left with a bill exceeding $116,000 — which Redlick has since publicly stated she will NOT be paying.

Redlick is facing 13 charges under the Animal Welfare Services Act for the alleged mistreatment and abuse of animals.

And yet, under Ontario’s current system, she remains legally able to have horses. AND Redlick is accumulating horses again.

This shocking reality is why this letter-writing campaign exists — to demand changes that actually prevent repeat neglect, not just respond after the damage is done.

In many areas of law, temporary safeguards are routinely put in place once serious charges are laid, not as punishment, but as a precaution.

These measures exist to prevent further harm while the courts determine guilt or innocence. They recognize a simple reality: waiting until after a trial can mean irreversible damage.

For example, individuals charged with violent offences may be prohibited from contacting alleged victims, firearm owners can have weapons seized, professionals may be suspended from practice, drivers can lose licences, and parents may face supervised access — all before a trial concludes.

These are not declarations of guilt; they are risk-management tools designed to protect the public or vulnerable parties during legal proceedings.

Animal welfare should be no different.

When someone faces serious animal neglect charges — especially following large-scale seizures or fatalities — allowing unrestricted ownership or custody of animals during that period creates a foreseeable risk.

Again, temporary, court-reviewable restrictions on animal ownership until charges are resolved would align animal welfare with protections already accepted in other areas of law.

Ontario’s Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act does not currently provide this kind of interim protection.

While inspectors can seize animals already in distress and courts may impose prohibitions after a conviction, there is no mechanism that automatically restricts animal ownership or acquisition once serious charges are laid. As a result, enforcement remains reactive rather than preventative — stepping in only after harm has occurred again.

WE’VE REMOVED EVERY BARRIER TO SPEAKING UP 

If you live in Ontario, this push-button tool sends a pre-written letter directly to your MPP and senior elected officials demanding urgent changes to a broken animal welfare system.

ON THE FORM BELOW…

Step 1: Enter your postal code, click Find My MPP

Step 2: Click ‘Send to Premier + Solicitor General + Chief Inspector (CC My MPP)

AFTER you hit send on the form below YOU CAN EDIT the email BEFORE it goes out – or leave it as is.

It takes LESS than 2 minutes.

Take Action Today: Close Ontario's Animal Welfare Loophole

Enter your Ontario postal code to automatically find your local MPP. Then send the letter in one click.

Recipients: Premier's Office, Solicitor General, Chief Animal Welfare Inspector, and your local MPP (auto).

What law needs to change?

  • Automatic "no-own / no-custody" restrictions for repeat or severe neglect cases, especially after a large seizure.
  • Real restrictions while charges are before the court so animals cannot be quietly moved to avoid oversight.
  • Mandatory veterinary orders when an animal is reported injured or in distress.
  • Cost-recovery accountability: if someone owes the province major care costs after seizure, that must trigger restrictions on future ownership/custody.

Bottom line: seizure without enforceable ownership restrictions is not prevention - it's a revolving door.

THE LETTER IN THE FORM READS…

Subject: Close Ontario’s Animal Welfare Loophole: Prevent Repeat Harm

Dear Premier Ford and Minister Kerzner,

I am writing to urge immediate reform to close a dangerous loophole in Ontario’s animal welfare system.

When an individual has had 16 horses seized, one was euthanized due to condition, the animals are not being returned, and taxpayers are owed over $116,000 for care, there must be enforceable restrictions preventing future ownership or custody of horses.

Seizure without ownership restrictions is not prevention. It allows repeat harm and repeats taxpayer expense. Similar temporary safeguards already exist in other areas of law to prevent further harm while charges are before the courts.

I am asking your government to implement reforms so that repeat or severe cases trigger meaningful bans or restrictions on animal ownership, along with timely veterinary orders when animals are reported injured or in distress.

Full details and documentation are available here:

https://banhorseslaughter.com/stephanie-redlick

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[City]

AND IT GOES TO…

Premier of Ontario
Doug Ford
Premier of Ontario
📧 Email: premier@ontario.ca
📞 Telephone: 416-325-1941

Solicitor General of Ontario
Michael Kerzner
📧 Email: minister.solgen@ontario.ca 
📞 Telephone: 416-426-5000

Chief Animal Welfare Inspector (Ontario)
Melanie Milczynski
Animal Welfare Services, Ontario
📧 Email: Melanie.Milczynski@ontario.ca
📞 Telephone: 416-433-3540

BOUVRY HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANT CLOSED

BOUVRY HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANT CLOSED

SIGNS OF CHANGE BUT THE FIGHT IS NOT OVERThere are signs that Canada’s horse slaughter industry is shifting—and not a moment too soon. But while one door may be closing, others remain wide open. Here's what we know right now: 1. Bouvry’s (Horse) Slaughter Plant in...

read more
THANK YOU MONIKA REKOLA & MIDLAND TODAY .CA

THANK YOU MONIKA REKOLA & MIDLAND TODAY .CA

UPDATE ON 13 ANIMAL WELFARE SERVICES CHARGES STEPHANIE REDLICK IS FACING We really can’t thank Monika Rekola enough for continuing to follow the Stephanie Redlick story and for giving cases like these the attention they deserve. Today's article brings readers up to...

read more
REDLICK’S COURT DATES

REDLICK’S COURT DATES

STEPHANIE REDLICK'S UPCOMING COURT DATESPROVINCIAL COURT AWS CHARGES September 17, 2026 @ 3:00 p.m.Port Perry Animal Welfare Services Charges (and Oro-Medonte Animal Welfare Services charges have been rolled into the same jurisdiction). The following court appearance...

read more

HORSES SLAUGHTERED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION

Every year thousands of horses are routinely slaughtered in Canada, for human consumption, but you can help us ban horse slaughter in Canada and beyond.

Some of the meat is consumed in Canada, and much of it is shipped to the European Union, and other markets, including Japan.

This barbaric practice is currently not legal in the United States, so horses from the United States are shipped to Canada, and to Mexico, to be slaughtered.

In addition Canada allows for the transportation of live horses to Japan to be slaughtered for human consumption, and unfortunately the transportation of horses destined for slaughter within Canada, and by air to Japan for slaughter, is far from humane.

LEARN MORE HERE <==

We are 100% volunteer & crowdfunded.

0% goes towards salaries. Yes, ZERO.

JOIN ACTOR KATE DRUMMOND &

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD

BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER

FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION OR ANY PURPOSE
DONATESHOP TO SAVE HORSES

THANK YOU JANN ARDEN

THANK YOU JANN ARDEN

 CANADIAN ICON JANN ARDEN GAINS MORE PRESS 

Thank you, Jann Arden, for your unwavering commitment to advocating for the protection of horses.

Your efforts, particularly in helping to ban the live export of horses for slaughter, have made a tremendous difference.

(That is an understatement - where would this cause  be without you?)

It's inspiring to see you continue to use your platform to raise awareness, and your recent features in the press are a testament to the importance of this cause.

Your dedication is deeply appreciated!

 NOT ALL HORSES ARE PURPOSE BRED

FOR SHIPMENT TO SLAUGHTER

BILL C-355 IS 'DEAD' SO HERE WE GO AGAIN...

UPDATED APRIL 2025

Even though not a single member of the Conservative Party was willing to vote in favour of Bill C-355 -- and every step of the way Conservatives fought to block Bill C-355 - designed to ban the export of horses for slaughter...

The Liberal Party persisted and Bill C-355  passed through Parliament - it was taken out of the hands of the Prime Minister Trudeau and Members of Parliament and it was put into the hands of Canadian Senators BUT...

UPDATE:  Once a Federal election was called for April of 2025 the bill automatically came to an end in Senate.

So we start again... please keep reading.

 SOCIAL MEDIA WRONGLY BLAMING PM TRUDEAU 

 Recently on social media, we’ve noticed some advocates blaming Prime Minister Trudeau for the ongoing export of horses from Canada to Japan and other markets for the purpose of slaughter.

We are thankful that Prime Minister Trudeau and other Liberal MPs including MP Leah Taylor-Roy  brought forward Bill C-355 – a bill to ban the export of horses by air for the purpose of slaughter. (BILL C-355 DETAILS HERE.)

Actually, that’s an understatement. We can not adequately express our thanks to all who were instrumental in bringing the bill forward and all who advocated for it.  For example Jann Arden & EVERY single Liberal MP including PM Trudeau – every last one voted in favour of the bill to ban the export of horses for slaughter passing.

We are far less impressed with Conservatives who fought tooth and nail for this bill to NOT pass and who unanimously voted against it passing.

Yes, really, you can check the voting stats here.

Despite the fight Conservatives put up the Bill is now in the hands of the Senate and will be discussed further and voted on this fall.

In the meantime, what can we each do?

Reach out to Senators, if you are a Canadian citizen, every Senator represents you.  SCROLL DOWN for a CALL TO ACTION.

You have the right to speak up and demand that they pay attention to what YOU want.

T-SHIRTS IN SUPPORT OF HORSE RESCUE FUND 

LIMITED TIME OFFER FREE SHIPPING CANADA & USA 

BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER

FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION OR ANY PURPOSE
DONATESHOP TO SAVE HORSES
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

CONGRATS ANTI-SLAUGHTER HORSE ADVOCATES!

Welfarm is reporting that a major distributor and importer of horse meat in France will no longer sell horse meat from Canada, Argentina or Australia.

Welfarm is an organization that strives to improve all aspects of farm animals’ lives, from breeding, to transport and slaughter.   

They work directly with the agri-food industry to improve conditions for animals, disseminate research and educational materials on animals’ ethological needs, raise awareness through public campaigns, and influence policy at national and European levels.

Following an investigation in 2021 by Welfarm into how horses are slaughtered in Argentina and Australia, ONE of the major distributors of horse meat in France, Système U, stated they would no longer sell horse meat from Argentina.

Welfarm reports that when they followed up earlier this month (August of 2023), Système U claims to have terminated “all national trade agreements for the marketing of horsemeat originating outside the European Union”.

That includes horse meat from Australia and Canada.

The fact that one of the largest distributors of horse meat in France claims to no longer be selling horse meat originating from outside of the European Union is a HUGE win for Canadian, American and Australian anti-slaughter horse advocates — it is definitely a step in the right direction.  Hopefully, other distributors in France – and beyond – will follow suit.

T-SHIRTS IN SUPPORT OF HORSE RESCUE FUND 

LIMITED TIME OFFER FREE SHIPPING CANADA & USA 

BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER

FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION OR ANY PURPOSE
DONATESHOP TO SAVE HORSES
USA TODAY:  Horses go from Racetracks to Slaughterhouses

USA TODAY: Horses go from Racetracks to Slaughterhouses

FORNEY, Texas — Mike McBarron stepped out of the 96-degree heat and into a shed on his feedlot after loading 37 horses onto a truck. They were headed to Mexico, where they would be slaughtered and shipped around the world for human consumption.

“It’s just a job to me,” McBarron told USA TODAY Sports. “I mean, I don’t attach myself to them. I don’t fall in love with them.”

McBarron, 48, is one of the country’s most prolific “kill buyers,” people who buy horses and sell them to slaughterhouses. They also represent an uncomfortable reality for the horse racing industry.

Over the past decade, an average of more than 600 thoroughbreds a year have died because of racing, according to research by the USA TODAY Network.

By contrast, an estimated 7,500 thoroughbreds a year are slaughtered for human consumption, according to Alex Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA).

 

“The problem is that the entire industry is a conveyor belt for slaughter,’’ said John Holland, president of the Equine Welfare Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the slaughter of American horses. “They just keep cranking them (out).’’

McBarron, who acknowledged he has bought and sold retired racehorses for slaughter, has sent tens of thousands of horses to slaughter plants and generated millions of dollars in revenue, according to invoices cited in an informal investigation conducted by a nonprofit group called Animals’ Angels.

That practice is unlikely to be a popular topic this week at the Breeders’ Cup, which has attracted many of the sport’s top horses and intense scrutiny of the sport.

So what can you do to help stop this barbaric slaughter of race and other horses being slaughtered for human consumption?

T-SHIRTS IN SUPPORT OF HORSE RESCUE FUND 

LIMITED TIME OFFER FREE SHIPPING CANADA & USA 

BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER

FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION OR ANY PURPOSE
DONATESHOP TO SAVE HORSES

Maclean’s: Canada is Go-To of Horse Meat

Maclean’s: Canada is Go-To of Horse Meat

Photo by: Jen Osborne

Maclean’s: Canada is Go-To of Horse Meat

“These activists are trying to change that.

The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition is waging a court battle to end Canada’s role as an exporter of live horses and frozen horsemeat for human consumption.”

Marie writes:

Thank you Canadian Horse Defence Coalition for all you do to help so many!

AND thank you to Maclean’s Canada for running this article to help raise awareness.

Canadians of courrse recognize Maclean’s magazine but for those reading from outside of Canada, this is a nationally recognized publication that was founded in 1905, and reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.

Mann had read the Canadian animal-health regulations which require horses over 14 hands high to be shipped solo in containers large enough to allow them to stand in a natural posture.

But she had routinely observed groups of three or four large horses being loaded into one crate with ceilings so low their ears poked through the top.

“There was no way they had enough room,” she says.

She condensed her footage into a three-minute YouTube video and in 2012 gave it to Sinikka Crosland at the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, an animal rights group lobbying to stop the slaughter of horses.

Here, thought Crosland, was the perfect opportunity to raise awareness for their cause.

Photo at top of this post:  A rescue farm in Duncan, Vancouver Island, holds horses that have avoided slaughter (Photograph by Jen Osborne)

T-SHIRTS IN SUPPORT OF HORSE RESCUE FUND 

LIMITED TIME OFFER FREE SHIPPING CANADA & USA 

BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER

FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION OR ANY PURPOSE
DONATESHOP TO SAVE HORSES

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