Chief inspector calls it quits

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Hugh Coghill, who retired as chief inspector of the Ontario SPCA in the fall, may be missed in the agricultural world.

Coghill, who had held the post since 2006, understood agriculture, says Ontario Farm Animal Council executive director Crystal Mackay. When Coghill ran a three-week training session for new inspectors last summer a full five days was spent dealing with livestock. Mackay points out that only 10 per cent of calls to the Ontario SPCA (OSPCA) across the province are on farm animals.

New inspectors are working from a 180-page training manual written by the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare in Guelph. There's a five-year plan to put all of the inspectors through the course, Mackay says. Mackay adds that the slogan "Education before enforcement" was at the front of the book. Training is being funded by a joint agreement between the Ministries of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Community Safety and Correctional Services.

The OSPCA may be able to afford to give Coghill's successor a raise. The Toronto Star reports that mail-in donations to the provincial organization increased by 30 per cent following the controversial raids on the Toronto Humane Society and subsequent public relations battles last year. Previously, the OSPCA got about $6.9 million annually while the Toronto Humane Society, the largest single such society in the province, garnered about $6.88 million.

Coghill's retirement "was his choice" and had nothing to with the controversial investigation of the Toronto Humane Society, says Ontario SCPA spokesperson Alison Cross.

"We are hoping he will stay in touch and help with conferences, and training and be an active consultant," says Cross. BF