Three Favourite Reads!

A FEW WEEKS AGO, Ben Fox, a book lover with a mission to help authors meet more readers, asked me to post my three favourite reads of the year on his website, www.shepherd.com, something I have done for the past few years. Given that are still 10 weeks of good reading this year, my picks are not definitive for 2024. But I was able to come up with three books that I especially enjoyed by three outstanding Canadian crime writers: Marianne Miller, Jeffrey Round and Maureen Jennings. All three books were released this year.

Check out what I said about We Were the Bullfighters, The Sulphur Springs Cure, and March Roars in my post, which was published today.

Thank you, Ben, for your work and drive in bringing books to the attention of readers around the world!

Meet Me at Word on the Street!

IT'S WORD ON THE STREET time again in Toronto this weekend. The city's 35th annual festival of the written word will be held at Queen's Park Circle East on Saturday and Sunday. And it's 100% free to attend.

You can find me at the Mesdames of Mayhem's table in Zone A, south of Bloor Street, near the Museum Subway Station entrance, from 1:15 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. And from 12:15 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

When Wild Ones Need Help

Fawn with a splint on his fractured leg. Named "Spirit" by volunteers.

A FAWN WITH a fractured leg. A baby raccoon that’s lost his mother. Animals like these don’t survive long in the wild. But if they’re fortunate enough to be found and taken to a wildlife rehab shelter, they can be treated and returned to their homes.

My forthcoming Pat Tierney mystery, the fifth in the series, features a wildlife refuge, so I needed to learn more about these facilities. When fellow author Angela Van Breemen kindly said she’d introduce me to Procyon Wildlife, the wildlife rehabilitation centre at which she volunteers, I jumped at the offer.    

Procyon—pronounced Pro-see-on, the genus name for raccoon—is set well back from the road on four acres of former farmland near Beeton, Ontario. The only indication of its presence is a sign with its name near the entrance lane off the 7th Line. “We don’t want wild animals getting used to people,” says Debra Spilar, wildlife custodian/director and the driving force behind Procyon Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre. “When they return to the wild, we don’t want them approaching hunters.”

Debra Spilar and Rusty, the Red-tailed Hawk.

Fifteen years ago, Debra retired from her marketing job at an insurance company, and decided to give back by rescuing and rehabilitating native wildlife. She began by helping a Tottenham veterinarian care for injured and orphaned raccoons in her home, meanwhile taking courses to build her knowledge and skills. When the veterinarian moved to the U.S., Debra wrote the Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation Examination to qualify as a wildlife custodian, and received her licence a few months later. She established Procyon in its present location in 2011, initially caring for about 600 animals a year. That number has now increased to 2,000, primarily due to loss of wildlife habitat.

Procyon relies on local veterinarians for examinations and surgery, but most of the care takes place on site by a team of 172 volunteers. Wildlife patients include raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, coyotes, deer, bats, groundhogs, opossums, mice and skunks. A few birds are permanent residents: ravens Edgar and Lenore, and Rusty, a red-tailed hawk; their injuries prevent them from returning to the wild. A large flight aviary was under construction when I visited last week. Upon its completion, Procyon will be able to care for large birds.

All this is accomplished on an annual budget of $220,000 generated from fund-raising, non-government grants and donations.

Debra wears many hats in her full-time volunteer job as custodian/director. But the most rewarding is returning animals to their home turf. On their release, she says, “they’ll often run 50 metres, then stop, turn and look back as if to say ‘thanks!’. Then they’ll continue on their way, this time walking, not running. That’s the best reward I can ask for.”

Photos by Procyon volunteers.

Procyon will hold its second annual fundraising gala on Nov. 23 at Caesar’s Centre in Bolton, Ontario. For details, check here.