A Postmortem evaluation of Vernon's 'Ban' decision

Recently, Vernon municipal council voted ‘No’ to a ban on the retailing of pets. This situation became an interesting case study, as it was an example of how the PIJAC Canada toolkit was used in a community having a ‘Ban Conversation’. Last week, InfoStream caught up with Louis McCann (LM), Executive Director, PIJAC Canada, and Lisa Badach (LB), proprietor of AJ’s Pets to capture this story.

InfoStream (INFO):  Thanks to both of you for taking time to speak with us about the Vernon ‘Ban’ episode. Lisa how long has AJ’s Pets been servicing the community of Vernon?

Lisa:  Andrew started the business in late eighties but I didn’t switch careers from healthcare to pets until 2000.  We’ve built AJ’s into a store that received national recognition as Nominee for Retailer of the Year at Summit 2011.

INFO: When did the Vernon conversation to ban the retailing of pets begin?

Lisa: I received a call from an industry colleague on Monday, 14 January 2013, letting me know that council would be considering a ban on the retailing of puppies, kittens and rabbits. The motion was set to come before council the next week.

INFO:  Who brought this conversation forward and what was their relationship to the community?

Lisa: The point person turned out to be a breeder/rescue person from outside the community with support from a number of other like-minded individuals. While only two people eventually showed up at the council meeting, the media attention made it look like a really big deal.

INFO: This is an important industry conversation for a community, how did the Vernon community line up on the issue?

Lisa: It was difficult to understand the metrics of the situation and we soon realized that we really didn’t know how stakeholders would line up.  In hindsight, we need to be far more engaged with the council and community.

INFO:  Going in what was your estimation of the impact on your business and the community?

Lisa: I felt like we had been kicked in the gut. All I could think about was that our customers, my employees and the community were all threatened. I couldn’t imagine that anything positive would come of it.

INFO:  So what did you do?

Lisa: Well, we have been a member of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada since 2005, and I remembered reading somewhere they were developing an information kit for communities involved in a ‘Ban’ conversation. So I called Ottawa and hollered for ‘Help’.

INFO:  How did council go about giving the matter due process?

Lisa: They invited comment from the community at a meeting to be held the following week.  Shortly after hearing about the situation, we were contacted by the  media, had visits from the public and a phone call from one of our municipal representatives to gather evidence for themselves.

INFO:  So I think we all have a picture. Let’s turn our attention to what intrigues us most, the use of the PIJAC Canada toolkit for this conversation. Louis can you tell us a bit about why this kit was developed?

Louis: First, let’s understand the environment in Canada. The conversation to ‘Ban’ the sale of animals first gained attention in Richmond, British Columbia in 2009. Ultimately that conversation was more of a lesson in ‘what not to do’ and it resulted in a ‘Ban’ being imposed. Since then, the ‘Ban’ conversation has spread to other communities where some retailers and services providers felt like they were under siege. We understood our members were in need of extra support and decided to create a toolkit that could empower these local tax paying businesses to be active in this conversation.

INFO:  That seems like a really good approach.  Louis - how does one use the PIJAC kit?

Louis: As we began to assemble this kit for our members, we had an opportunity observe ‘Ban’ conversations in Winnipeg and Calgary. We realized this conversation really needs to begin well before such a challenge comes into view. Our members need to be trusted by council and receive regular updates about pets and pet owners in the community. This was a defining moment for PIJAC Canada. It changed our focus from being an intervener to equipping local members to build relationships and understand the councils developing agenda. The kit encourages proactive relationship development using both local and national resources. The focus moves retailers and service providers from defending a right, to being transparent providers and offering themselves as part of the solution to a community concern.

INFO: Okay that’s positive but what’s in the kit?

Louis: The kit explains to our members how to prepare for challenging conversations; how to develop positive relationships; there are letter templates for writing council; templates for gathering and presenting statistics; national statistics from the Urban Animal Strategies surveys; a discussion of why pets end up in Shelters; information about the dilemma of irresponsible breeding facing every community; and, suggestions for how we can all work together to create a healthy community for pets and people.

INFO:  This sounds very comprehensive. Lisa, how did you use this resource?

Lisa: The first thing I did was to gather my staff and mobilize them so I could concentrate on being in the community. Next I used the templates in the kit to create 150 full color education kits. Then I visited everyone in the community from media to vets, from animal services to by-law enforcement, from competitors to pet owners and anyone else who would listen. These packages and my visits told the story of pets in our community.

INFO: This sounds fascinating. What did you achieve?

Lisa: My first achievement was personal – learning how to conduct an interview or presentation while keeping my emotions in check.  The second achievement was deeper relationships with the rest of the community and seeing our store as part of something really good for families, for our community and for our culture. Lastly, and kudos to the Council and citizens of Vernon for checking things out and discovering that a retail ban wouldn’t be effective against the real problem - irresponsible breeding and backyard breeders.

INFO:  Sounds like mission accomplished. How expensive was the exercise for you and the store?

Lisa: Well the kit is part of PIJAC Canada’s Member services so it was provided free of charge. You can’t beat that! My concentrated efforts took me away from the store for ten days and there were other costs but, we discovered something quite fascinating. The public came to the store to check things out for themselves and our brand was all over the community and media. At the end of the episode, we actually experienced a little bump in sales and a tremendous amount of good will from the community that still carries on.

INFO:  Lisa, is there any advice to give or anything you would do different?

 

Lisa: My advice is – start to build relationships right now before there is an issue. If a challenge comes along, keep your emotions under control and stay on the high road. Invest in your brand with ethical standards that will build your reputation in the community. Lastly, if you aren’t a member of PIJAC Canada join! Our PIJAC Canada membership costs us $285 annually and it has sure paid us dividends.

INFO:  Louis, do you have any final words?

Louis: Lisa is a passionate promoter of animals and positive pet experiences. I’m sure challenges will continue to arrive but she has shown that our retailers and service providers have a professional, transparent way to contribute to community conversations. We’re all in animal welfare. Eliminating irresponsible breeding activities is everyone’s business!

INFO: Thank you for giving us this time and for keeping industry leaders informed about what’s going on in these community conversations.