JS

By Jessica Scott-ReidContributor

Tue., June 23, 2020timer2 min. read

Late last week an Ontario woman was run over and killed by a semi-truck
outside of Fearmans Pork slaughterhouse in Burlington. Details surrounding
the incident have yet to be revealed, but what is known now is that Regan
Russell, 65, was a long-time animal and human rights activist who was there
to bear witness to the pigs on that truck. She was there because the secrecy
enshrouding meat, dairy and egg production, and lack of legal oversight
concerning farmed animal welfare forced her to be there. She was there
because it is only outside of those trucks that concerned citizens can gain
a mere moment of interaction with the animals, to document their conditions,
and to show compassion before they are trucked off into the darkness. On
this day in particular, Russell was there because soon, the newly passed
Bill 156 will make it illegal to do so, and soon that darkness will grow
much darker.

Russell witnessed animals used and abused in awful ways for many years, says
Jenny McQueen, a well-known Toronto activist and friend of Russell. Russell
was absolutely committed to speaking up on behalf of the animals and showing
that, week after week, people need to do the right thing. Russell attended
slaughterhouse vigils regularly, participated in a recent Black Lives Matter
protest, and was a strong women’s rights advocate. There are so many
instances when she was standing up for the oppressed, McQueen says.

Vigils have been held outside of Fearmans Pork for several years, organized
by international animal rights group The Save Movement, which originated in
Toronto. Typically, peaceful activists stand outside of slaughterhouses on
public land, and, when trucks hauling live animals pull up, drivers are
asked to stop for two minutes to allow activists to provide water, document
conditions, and offer some words of apology, love and comfort. Vigils are
extremely powerful, says McQueen. If you go, and connect, and look an animal
in the eye, in person, it’s life-changing.

With the passing of Bill 156, the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food
Safety Act, however, individuals who interact with animals in this way could
soon be fined up to $15,000.

Tensions between vigil participants and some truck drivers have been
bubbling for years, but for the most part the requested two minutes is
usually provided without incident. Since the passing of Bill 156 just days
before Russell’s death, though, activists can’t help but wonder if the
industry, including that truck driver, may be feeling emboldened.

In Canada, there are no laws overseeing the daily treatment of animals on
farms. An accepted form of on-farm euthanasia for piglets is bashing their
heads into concrete. Pigs are transported in open-sided,
non-climate-controlled trucks for up to 36 hours without food, water or
rest, regardless of the weather. Fearmans Pork kills approximately 10,000
young pigs every single day. These are things Russell would want you to
know. These are the things she was trying expose with her activism. These
are the things Bill 156 will drive further away from the public eye, further
into the darkness.