top of page

AARA in the News

 

Aurora's Animal Rights Advocates have been talked about and mentioned in several local papers and websites

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aurora Animal Rights Activists hold protest over RAM Rodeo

November 19, 2015

Is the rodeo cruel? Depends whom you ask.

Aurora resident Katie Barber certainly thinks so. In fact, she sent a letter to East Gwillimbury council asking the town to ban rodeos.

Every year, the Ram Rodeo is hosted at the Royal Canadian Riding Academy.

This year it was held Oct. 16 to 18.

Barber was there —picketing at the event with others from the Aurora Animal Rights Activists.

“We want to end animal cruelty and to do so we must live by example,” Barber said. “Rodeo is an extremely barbaric and dangerous event for both the animals who are forced to take part and the animals riding them.”

According to Barber, animals are kicked, whipped, slapped, prodded and have belts tightened around their sensitive areas at rodeos......

Animal rights group hosts 'vigil' outside Newmarket meat production plants

November 18, 2015

Katie Barber wants you to stop eating meat.

The founder of Aurora's Animal Rights Advocates group led a vigil alongside nearly 20 people outside the King Cole Ducks and Newmarket Meat Packers facilities on Warden Avenue in Newmarket Wednesday. The event attempted to raise awareness of local "slaughterhouses and the unjustified (killings) happening" within, she said.

"The issue is the idea of using animals for our own purposes," Barber said, as protesters held up signs with slogans such as 'All Life Matters' and 'Meat is Murder' for passing drivers to see.

"We don't need to eat animals to survive or for clothing. We're here to bring attention to the amount of suffering and lives killed here......

AARA on The Bulletin Board - Rogers TV

November 10, 2015

The Bulletin Board on Rogers Cable asked me to come on TV and talk a little about AARA - I hope it turned out ok - We have been invited back and to promote events as well as Wishing Well Sanctuary....

Lucky little lamb gets new lease on life

April 4, 2015

Slowly, gingerly, Meadow the lamb stepped toward a crowd of visitors on Friday afternoon, his little pink hooves crunching on the golden hay of his pen. Surrounded by staff and onlookers at Wishing Well animal sanctuary in Bradford, Ont., the little lamb peered up at the beaming faces, looking rather sheepish — even for a sheep.

But who can blame him? Meadow had a busy week.

On Thursday, the roughly 6-month-old lamb was spared from his fate at a nearby meat-packing plant, thanks to an unusual agreement between plant staff and local animal rights activists.

Anita Krajnc, founder of animal rights group Toronto Pig Save, says Meadow’s journey to his new home started last Saturday during a “vigil” held by animal rights advocates from Aurora, which ended up on the site of Newmarket Meat Packers.

The group was “protesting and picketing” according to Nick D’Elia, co-owner of Newmarket Meat Packers.....

THIS SACRIFICIAL LAMB WENT FROM SLAUGHTERHOUSE TO SANCTUARY

April 3, 2015

Meet Meadow, the newest family member of the Wishing Well farm animal sanctuary, located in a bucolic setting outside Bradford, Ontario.

Meadow’s freedom from the dinner table was won through a remarkably reasonable exchange between animal rights activists and Newmarket Meat Packers. The activists appealed to workers of the plant to find alternate employment, and a representative of the plant countered that it employs approximately 50 people and asked the activists to “respect the fact that we are providing a service for people with wants.”

Though they have irreconcilable differences with the animal rights activists, on Thursday (April 2) Newmarket Meat Packers offered mercy to the lamb, “In light of it being Easter and with everyone in good spirits.”.......

Slaughterhouse donates lamb to Ontario animal sanctuary

April 4, 2015

Dedicated animal rights activists convinced a slaughterhouse owner to spare one lamb from being killed over the Easter weekend.

The Toronto-based activists had come to Newmarket for a break-of-dawn vigil last week, organized by Katie Barber of Aurora’s Animal Rights Advocates, at King Cole Ducks, Canada’s largest duck slaughterhouse. 

Photo: Louise Jorgensen

At the same time, a few decided to reach out to a neighbouring lamb slaughterhouse. During a spur-of-the-moment visit, Anita Krajnc and Paul Bali made their appeal for “this small Easter mercy” to Newmarket Meat Packers co-founder Gino Plastino and his son......

Aurora animal rights activists raise awareness

January 25, 2015

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian," said music legend and animal rights advocate Paul McCartney in support of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.Animals raised on modern factory farms and killed in slaughterhouses endure almost unimaginable suffering, the former Beatle intoned, adding that anyone who witnesses the cruelty would leave meat off their plates for good.Sharing the fabled songwriter's passion for animal welfare are three York Region women, devoted vegans, who use McCartney's Glass Walls DVD as part of their formidable arsenal to create awareness of the inexcusable treatment of animals in food, fashion, experimentation and entertainment......

Compassion for animals on menu at vegan potluck in Aurora

November 30, 2014

The spread consisted of pasta bolognese, shepherd's pie, pizza rolls, curry, blueberry cheesecake, cupcakes and apple pie - and not one of these dishes contains meat or any animal by-products because they were all served up at a vegan potluck.It was hosted Sunday afternoon by Aurora's Animal Rights Activists.The group was formed by Katie Barber last year, who, after becoming vegan a year-and-a-half ago, found there were no local outreach organizations. They were all in Toronto..... 

Cancelled Cambridge bull running event sparks talks between protestors and participants

August 18, 2014

CAMBRIDGE — The protesters waited, the bulls waited and the people who wanted to run with the bulls waited.

But in the end, rain cancelled the traditional “running with the bulls” — the bloodless variety — planned Saturday afternoon at the Portuguese Oriental Sports Club on Shellard Road in Cambridge.

But something did happen. Two cultures — protesters who object to the animals’ use as entertainment, and Portuguese participants who see the event as an honoured, centuries-old tradition — talked together about their beliefs.

While people’s minds may not have been changed, at least one protester said she appreciated the chance to talk and view the five bulls and four heifers in the trailer.

“It’s rare,” said protester Katie Barber of Aurora. “They talked to us. They didn’t just write us off. He (the bulls’ owner) invited us to his farm and he’ll show us around.”

“I just want them to see what we do before they judge us,” said bull owner Elio Leal, who has a farm in Dundalk where he breeds the bulls.......

Please reload

bottom of page