It’s the beginning of spring and the end of the eighth season of Defender Radio! As The Fur-Bearers’ fiscal year rolls over, my attentions are needed in strategic planning and communication work. For a few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my favourite episodes from seasons past, and starting to book a massive wave of recording for season nine!

Defender Radio and the Switch are among of my proudest achievements and a great joy for me to continue making. I remain appreciative of every single one of you who downloads, subscribes, likes, comments and otherwise helps make these shows possible.

But this episode isn’t just about what’s next for Defender Radio – it’s also to tell you about the incredible spring auction starting Friday, April 1 for The Fur-Bearers! It’s no prank – we have over 60 items whose total value hits nearly $10,000. These incredible donated gift cards, artworks, jewellery, crafts, dog accessories and more can be seen at https://www.biddingowl.com/Auction/home.cfm?auctionID=25790. 

There’s a whole lot of choices and every single bid made helps The Fur-Bearers run our conservation, advocacy, research and education campaigns for wildlife across Canada. 

LINKS:

The Fur-Bearers' Spring Silent Auction runs April 1, 2022 to April 8, 2022. Details, images, bidding and more at: https://www.biddingowl.com/Auction/home.cfm?auctionID=25790

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael), TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

Defender Radio is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

Humane Canada’s Summit for Animals is approaching, and it’s sounding like it’s going to be their best yet. The annual conference is going to include in-person events in Banff, Alberta in conjunction with a broad variety of online presentations. Formerly the National Animal Welfare Conference, the Summit for Animals is reaching well beyond Humane Canada’s foundations as the federation of humane societies and SPCAs; I’ll be speaking with attorney Rebeka Breder about the Stanley Park coyotes; my boss Lesley Fox will be on a panel about fur farming; and we’re all excited at the wide range of topics and opportunities to learn.

To share more about this conference, its evolution, and what attendees in person and online can expect, Humane Canada’s Natalia Hanson joined Defender Radio.

Get more details on Humane Canada's Summit for Animals at https://bit.ly/3u7BbGA! 

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael), TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

Defender Radio is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal MP for Beaches-East York, in February introduced Private Members Bill C-247, An Act to prohibit fur farming. This Act, if passed through the House of Commons and Senate, would end commercial fur farming in Canada at the federal level. MP Erskine-Smith joined Defender Radio to discuss the bill, how private members bills work, what people can do to support it, and what other ways communities can engage on the issue at a federal level.

Note: During the interview, Nathaniel mentioned the raccoon fox as an animal involved in the fur trade; he was referencing the raccoon dog, and mispoke. 

LINKS:

MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith: https://beynate.ca/

Send a letter supporting C-247 to your MP (Canadians only; international listeners, please send a letter to the PMO, info also available here): https://thefurbearers.com/blog/action-alert-support-bill-c-247-to-end-fur-farming/

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