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Hanna’s Haven Animal Rescue Inc. and its operator Laura Mackay have been ordered to pay damages to five volunteers that had worked with the Saskatoon animal rescue non-profit for defamatory Facebook posts.
In the Court of King’s Bench judgment in November, Justice S.M. Sinclair awarded the volunteers the combined total of $27,500 for two posts made on the social media platform in April 2023.
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The volunteers worked with Hanna’s Haven in 2022 and 2023 but stopped in April 2023 after the relationship between the five women and the organization deteriorated.
Mackay then posted a number of comments about the volunteers on both her personal and Hanna’s Haven Facebook pages. Hanna’s Haven had 10,000 followers at the time.
“Unfortunately, we gave some ladies our trust as volunteers to help with fosters and adoptions of our rescue dogs. We trusted them to represent us and ensure our dogs were placed in good homes. This has not happened … these ladies were told they were no longer to be involved with our rescue as they tried to take over our rescue from under us and have now stolen 15 of our dogs,” the first post read in part.
“Before they were let go we believe they also took down any access to our Website (sic) and email by changing the passwords … it is now a police investigation and charges will be laid. There will also be a class action lawsuit initiated.”
The post went on to identify one of the volunteers by name, saying “she is very manipulative and convinced the others involved to follow her” before also naming the four other volunteers.
Then a second post made to both Facebook pages two days later said the earlier post “in regards to our stolen dogs” had been removed “because it is now a legal investigation”, before going on to say that a letter written by the volunteers “is now being investigated as blackmail.”
Sinclair said that Mackay, using the Facebook account of Hanna’s Haven, also commented on posts made by others, repeating similar allegations.
Following the Facebook posts, a lawyer for the volunteers asked for a public apology and retraction in May 2023, but there was no response and the volunteers then filed a defamation lawsuit in December 2023.
The five women won that suit by default after Mackay filed no defence and then petitioned the court for damages in November 2024.
Notice of that petition was served to Mackay’s husband Brian, another director of Hannah’s Haven, after many attempts to serve notice to Mackay — including in person, by text and voicemail — were unsuccessful.
Sinclair said the volunteers did nothing to warrant Mackay publishing the posts, which were clearly defamatory because Mackay named them, accused them of acting criminally, alleged they were “let go” from their volunteer positions, alleged they tried to take over her business through manipulation, alleged they stole her account passwords, and insinuated there was imminent police involvement.
While the posts were later deleted, there was no evidence that MacKay had apologized, and she did not turn up in court to defend herself.
Sinclair then awarded “general damages” of less than the volunteers were seeking.
One of the women was awarded $7,500, while the other four were awarded $5,000 each, plus pre-judgment interest.
The full judgment is available here.
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