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Much-raided Langley animal rescue society loses registered charitable status

Revoked following an audit by Canada Revenue Agency, records show
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On Sunday, (Jan. 20), animal control officers from the SPCA removed 20 animals from a house in the 5500 block of 216th Street in Langley, where the 1atatime Rescue Society is based (Langley Advance Times file)

A Langley-based private animal rescue that was recently raided again by BC SPCA has lost its registered charity status.

Online Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) records show the 1atatime Rescue Society had its charitable status revoked last year.

CRA lists the charity status as “revoked-audited” effective March 2, 2019.

According to the CRA website, the agency conduct audits of 500 to 600 charities per year.

Charities can be audited at random, or for a variety of reasons including “complaints from the public … articles in the media or other publically available sources.”

READ MORE: VIDEO - SPCA and RCMP remove 20 animals from private animal rescue in Langley

Last Sunday, animal control officers from the SPCA removed 20 animals from a house in the 5500-block of 216th Street, where the 1atatime Rescue Society is based.

Workers in hazmat suits removed nine dogs, five birds, three cats, two rabbits, and one pig.

The dogs seized included two Maltese, one Rottweiler, one Labrador retriever, one border collie, one boxer, one collie mix, one poodle and one pitbull.

Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for BC SPCA, reported all of the animals removed met the definition of “distress” under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

“There were concerns in the complaint about dogs being crated for long periods of time, and with one exception, the dogs were crated without access to water when our officers arrived,” Moriarty commented.

Sandra Simans, president of 1atatime, did not respond to requests for comment from the Langley Advance Times.

It isn’t the first time animals have been seized from Simans.

In 2012, the SPCA seized 52 dogs and 19 cats from Simans’ Burnaby residence.

Some of the animals were adopted out, but others were returned to Simans after she moved to Surrey.

After Simans sued the SPCA and the City of Burnaby over the raid, a B.C. Supreme Court judge found the seizure of the animals was justified.

Simans did win $2,500 in damages for defamation, over a statement by SPCA officials implying she had caused harm to one dog, which she had been caring for after it came to her with a broken jaw.

In September of 2016, SPCA officials seized 88 animals from the Langley house, including 45 dogs, 18 cats, 24 farm animals including goats, chickens, and ducks, and a turtle.

Three animals were later euthanized, and a later report by veterinarians found that 95 per cent of the cats and 58 per cent of the dogs were underweight.

Simans was ordered to pay more than $81,000 in costs to the SPCA by Cory Van’t Haaff of the B.C. Farm Industry Review Board (FIRB).

An appeal of that order by Simans was dismissed by a Supreme Court judge in 2017.

Lorie Chortyk, general manager, communications, BC SPCA, said they have not been paid.

“Those were just costs for medical expenses (treating the animals),” Chortyk observed.

In March of 2017, when BC SPCA officers returned and seized 17 animals from the Langley house, Simans called the seizure a “travesty” and denied the animals were in distress.

“I don’t take animal care lightly,” Simans insisted.

According to the SPCA, the animals included a female Ridgeback and her 10 puppies, a greyhound, four cats and a rabbit.

READ MORE: Dozens of animals have been seized from a Langley home

Simans has 14 days from the Jan. 19 seizure to file an appeal with the SPCA.

If the SPCA rules against Simans, she then has the option of appealing to FIRB.

Simans did not respond to requests for comment from the Langley Advance Times, prior to deadline.



dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com

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Dan Ferguson

About the Author: Dan Ferguson

Best recognized for my resemblance to St. Nick, I’m the guy you’ll often see out at community events and happenings around town.
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