COLUMN BY MONIKA REKOLA
At 79, John Dobson had spent decades as a cattle farmer. He hoped the profits from his last herd would help carry him into retirement.
Instead, the Oro-Medonte cattle farmer is preparing to walk into the Midland courthouse next week as a Crown witness in a criminal case he says changed the course of his life.
Nearly two years after an alleged livestock transaction in Tay Township sparked an OPP investigation, Stephanie Redlick, 29, of North York, is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Midland on Aug. 12 and 14.
Monika Rekola is a columnist with Village Media, a certified landscape designer, and a horticulturist dedicated to ecological stewardship. With a deep passion for gardening and sustainable living, she merges expertise with advocacy, championing environmental conservation, human rights, and animal welfare. Through her writing and design work, she inspires actionable change, fostering harmony between people, nature, and the landscapes they call home.
Contact Ms. Rekola at monika.rekola@gmail.com
JOIN US IN PERSON ON AUGUST 12 & 14, 2026
Stephanie Redlick is scheduled to appear in person in CRIMINAL court on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
We are asking supporters to join us for a peaceful rally outside the Midland Courthouse to show that our community believes in accountability, transparency, and justice.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Please arrive no later than 9:00 a.m.
Midland Courthouse
605 Yonge Street
Midland, ON.
Court is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom T2.
Bring signs and stand with fellow advocates, as members of the public gather before the court proceedings begin.
Please help spread the word and encourage members of the press to attend.
ASPCA: “Horse Slaughter is NOT Euthanasia”
Last year, approximately 80,000 American horses were trucked over our borders (to Canada and Mexico) to be slaughtered for human consumption. Until this practice is banned and Congress passes a law against slaughter here in the U.S., no horse is safe. The term...
Bracken Fern poisoning in horses
What is Bracken Poisoning? The Bracken fern has wide and triangular leaves and is a popular perennial fern. The spores are born in the very late summer months and live on under the wide leaves, with the leaves folding under to protect them. This plant rises up to...
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.
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