Our charity exists to prevent suffering.

That means making sure animals can get the care they need when they need it.

So when access to veterinary services is disrupted without warning, and we are given little more than a “trust the process” plan, this is not a minor annoyance. This is not the kind of unexpected news that just means putting in more hours or asking an already tired volunteer team to stretch even further.

This is a province-wide animal welfare issue.

Yes, I heard the minister dismiss concerns that these cuts create one. I would roll my eyes at the callousness if preventable suffering were not something some of us are forced to confront every single day.

He does not start his day with calls, emails, and DMs from people looking for help with animals they can no longer care for. He does not get pulled away from lunch because someone has shown up with an injured, neglected, or forgotten animal, hoping our barn never runs out of room for just one more.

And that is exactly why the government’s explanation does not sit right.

I did not expect a small organization like ours to be at the consultation table, but other groups with far more members directly affected by all of this were not approached either.

Instead, we are getting talking points.

The main one so far is that New Brunswick is one of only two provinces with provincial veterinary services.

Alright. Then explain the lab.

Because if “other provinces are doing it” is enough to justify one cut, it should hold up across the board. However, other provinces still publicly support veterinary diagnostic lab capacity. They still fund testing. They still support necropsy work.

So apparently, “look at what other provinces are doing” only matters when it helps sell a cut.

What I see is a decision that appears to have been made first, with a “figure the fallout later” plan attached afterward. When people point out the holes, the answer is vague reassurance, selective numbers, and a request to trust the process.

In animal welfare, putting your head in the sand and hoping things will work out if you do not look too closely is exactly how starved animals end up here.

It is how animals like Bob, Nancy, and Rosie show up long after they have lost a limb because basic medical attention wasn’t provided.

It is why some see a vet for their first and last visit, when releasing them from their body is the only peace left to give them.

These are real situations from our sanctuary.

And they are exactly why the “trust the process” plan sounds like a plan for suffering to slip through the cracks.

Read Bob’s rescue story.