2015 CFHS National Animal Welfare Conference
Cat Overpopulation in Surrey: Using Dialogue to Engage Stakeholders and
Get Results
Lubna Ekramoddoullah, Volunteer, Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association and Manager,
Surrey Community Cat Coalition
British Columbia has an enormous cat overpopulation problem. The BC SPCA takes in 13,000
abandoned cats and kittens every year, and that number doesn’t include the thousands taken in by
other animal control agencies and rescue organizations across the province. In Surrey (25 km
south of Vancouver), the number of cats who are living on the streets is increasing, despite
efforts made by local animal welfare groups over the years. In just one year, nearly 2,000 cats
were rescued by the Surrey Animal Resource Centre (SARC) and the Vancouver Orphan Kitten
Rescue Association (VOKRA), and the number of Surrey cats in VOKRA’s care increased 46%
from the previous year.
As part of her Dialogue and Civic Engagement certificate program at Simon Fraser University
and spurred on by her passion for animal welfare, Lubna Ekramoddoullah, a VOKRA volunteer,
wanted to do something proactive to help reduce the cat overpopulation problem. After initial
research, Lubna determined that before involving the community, she needed to involve the
stakeholders. Using a dialogic model, Lubna designed and hosted a stakeholder forum for groups
already involved in cat rescue in Surrey, such as VOKRA, SARC, BC SPCA, Semiahmoo
Animal League Inc., SAINTS, and Katie’s Place. The forum’s objective was to determine the
underlying causes of the cat overpopulation problem in Surrey and brainstorm new strategies to
address the situation.
This presentation will describe principles of dialogue and civic engagement, methods used for
the stakeholder forum, challenges and positive results, and next steps.
Key Learnings
1. Principles of dialogue and civic engagement and how they can be applied to complex
issues facing a community
2. How the design of the stakeholder forum contributed to rich discussion and was an
effective first step to solving a community problem
3. How to overcome design flaws and challenges
Speaker Biography
Lubna Ekramoddoullah is a healthcare communications professional with 20 years of experience
and a special interest in community engagement and public education. She is a passionate
advocate for animals and is dedicated to making a difference in the community by raising
awareness about the abuse of animals. Through her volunteer work with the Vancouver Orphan
Kitten Rescue Association, Lubna is helping to engage community organizations, residents, and
102-30 Concourse Gate, Ottawa, Ontario K2E 7V7
(888) 678-2347
fax / téléc: (613) 723-0252
[email protected]
www.cfhs.ca
municipalities to develop practices that improve the treatment of animals. She embraced a vegan
lifestyle in 2014 after attending an animal rights conference and endeavours to educate others
about the cruelty done to farm animals. Lubna has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, a
Certificate in Animal Welfare, a Certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement, and four cats.
102-30 Concourse Gate, Ottawa, Ontario K2E 7V7
(888) 678-2347
fax / téléc: (613) 723-0252
[email protected]
www.cfhs.ca