The Stewardship Centre for BC hosted a lunch and learn session for local government staff and decision-makers to learn about the importance and application of cat bylaws in British Columbia. The webinar highlighted municipalities with existing cat bylaws and recommended bylaw language and criteria.
Webinar Recording
Webinar Presenters
Anna Skurikhina
Cats and Birds Project Lead, Stewardship Centre for BC
Anna is a wildlife conservation professional working on research, community engagement, and resource development to protect species at risk in BC. Since 2019, she has coordinated the Cats and Birds project, leading outreach campaigns, fostering collaborative partnerships, and promoting stewardship actions to make BC safer for cats, wildlife, and people. In this webinar, Anna will introduce the Stewardship Centre for BC, highlight SCBC resources for local governments, and discuss existing cat bylaws in BC.
Dr. Elizabeth Gow
Research Scientist, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Dr. Elizabeth Gow is a Research Scientist in the Wildlife Research Division at Environment and Climate Change Canada, based out of Delta, BC. Her research team aims to make the world a better place for birds, people and cats. She is a leading expert and researcher on the ecology and behaviour of wandering cats in Canada. Her team takes an interdisciplinary approach to research on cats and she works with a variety of stakeholders to understand the challenges surrounding wandering cats.
Karen Robertson
Contract Deputy Corporate Officer, City of Nanaimo
Karen Robertson has recently retired after a 30-year career in local government, where she worked as a Corporate Officer or Deputy Corporate Officer in various B.C. municipalities. During her career, she successfully implemented new Animal Responsibility Bylaws for the City of Nanaimo and two other local governments; all three bylaws included provisions for cats. She will share what to consider when bringing forward new animal bylaw provisions to the Council, tips on engagement and lessons learned. She now works part-time for the City of Nanaimo as a contract Deputy Corporate Officer where she continues to work on modernizing the City’s outdated bylaws and policies.
Dave LaBerge
Director, Public Safety, City of Nanaimo
Dave LaBerge is the Director of Public Safety at the City of Nanaimo. He oversees social planning, community safety, bylaws, parking adjudication and animal control services. He previously had a policing career spanning more than three decades throughout British Columbia. He will be speaking on matters related to enforcing the City’s Animal Responsibility bylaw, impacts on animal control operations, and the care and rehoming of impounded cats.
Featured Resources
For more information about the Stewardship Centre for BC’s Cats and Birds project and resources for local governments, visit our website and explore free resources.
