Ryerson prof takes to spray-painting

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Philosophy professor Paul Bali has been charged with mischief after spray-painting "abattoir" in red on University of Guelph property in response to news that animal welfare advisor Temple Grandin would be giving a speech on campus.

According to the Guelph Mercury, Grandin was invited by the national charity Farm and Food Care Canada (FFCC) to speak at a private fundraising event held in a university building. A 67-year-old professor of livestock behaviour and welfare for Colorado State University, Grandin is famous for both her work designing humane handling systems for cattle-processing facilities across the United States and her autism advocacy. In an interview with the Guelph Mercury, she said she chooses to eat meat and thinks it is possible to raise animals for meat in an ethical manner, though she feels "very strongly that you've got to do things right."

Bali, who is actually a professor at Ryerson University, though he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Guelph, told the Guelph Mercury that the vandalism was "a way of beginning a kind of dialogue," and that he does not believe in animal testing as "the cost to our soul is too great."
Bali turned himself in after the Guelph Police Service publicly issued a photo of a suspect and asked for help in identifying him.

Grandin gave her lecture to a sold out crowd of 250, a FFCC report said. BF