Loz Flowers | cc by 2.0

Dworkin Furs in Ottawa has been peddling pelts for more than a century. But 100 years of cruelty is coming to an end as Dworkin Furs sells off the last of its skins and shuts its doors.

While management at Dworkin is staying mum, business professor Ian Lee said fur sales are down because PETA and other groups have exposed the cruelty of the fur industry. "[PETA] have made it less fashionable—or less acceptable, I should say—to wear fur," he told news sources. "You don't close your doors because you're making lots of money … you close your doors because you aren't making money."

Thanks for showing retailers that fur is headed the way of the stagecoach. Let's keep the pressure on by sharing the Pledge to Be Fur-Free on Facebook and adding to the long list of people who wouldn't be caught dead wearing dead animals.

Chef Martin Picard abruptly quit Ottawa's upcoming Winterlude festival after concerned citizens prompted organizers to ban foie gras from the menu of the festival's opening dinner. Activists won another victory over cruelty, and organizers of the Taste of Winterlude dinner, which will be held at the aptly named Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Québec, don't seem concerned about having to say "sayonara" to Picard over the gastronomical atrocity.

"We all agreed that we could present this menu without foie gras," said festival spokesperson Lucie Caron.

Leaping into the breach is celebrated Prince Edward Island chef Michael Smith, who is big enough to think outside the gaveuse and prepare any of the millions of dishes that don't include diseased duck livers.

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Written by Michelle Sherrow

When PETA's "pilgrims" landed at a busy intersection in Ottawa, a lot of rubbernecking started—two passersby even collided. (Thank goodness each walked away unharmed—wish we could say the same for this little guy.) Ottawa Metro was there to report on the crowd of enthusiastic folks who lined up for the free Tofurkys and vegan info that our lovely lasses were dishing up.

Sometimes it can feel great to walk away empty-handed, as our pilgrims can attest: They came with 500 vegan starter kits and a small mountain of delicious vegan Tofurkys—and the crowd gobbled up each and every offering. Thanks to all who participated in this lifesaving action. Well done!

Written by Karin Bennett

Urban legend has it that Eskimos have 400 words for "snow," but how many do they have for "snowman"?

Unlike real snowmen, these guys thrived in the Ottawa Sun. Passersby couldn't stop looking and were delighted to get to know our blizzard buddies, who educated onlookers about the hundreds of thousands of baby seals who are shot or have their skulls crushed every year. With this year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver approaching, help Canada clean up its reputation by urging officials to end the seal slaughter immediately.

Written by Logan Scherer

Yesterday, the enormously talented (and playfully goofy, but more on that in a minute) singer/songwriter Joel Gibb of the indie band The Hidden Cameras was in Ottawa to unveil a billboard reminding everyone that "Canada's Club Scene Sucks."

While other compassionate celebrities have opted to wear our seal T-shirt to point out that the annual massacre of baby seals is a big, bloody blot on Canada's reputation, Joel got into the spirit of things by donning our seal costume for the unveiling (well, part of it, anyway).

To read more about what Joel thinks of the seal slaughter, check out his interview with Exclaim!

Or you could check him out in concert—The Hidden Cameras are currently on tour. (No word yet on whether Joel will be performing in a seal costume.)

Written by Heather Drennan

With the start of the annual Canadian seal slaughter just a few weeks away, PETA took to the frozen Rideau Canal in Ottawa to help stop the killings. Skaters looked on in wonderment as activists recreated the "crime scene" from an attack on a baby seal. Check out these photos from the demo:

If you haven't witnessed the seal slaughter firsthand, you'll have to trust us that it looks a lot like this bloody mess—but with seal babies' corpses.

A voice from above says: "Stop the Seal Slaughter!"

Lord knows you don't want this muck on your skates—or on your hands.

Inspired yet? Learn more about our campaign against the Canadian seal slaughter and what you can do about it.

Written by Lianne Turner

If you're as big a fan of Whale Wars as I am, you probably already have a pretty good idea of the evil that is whaling. For those of you who can't afford cable, suffice it to say that the Japanese continue to kill hundreds of whales every year under the guise of "research"—except that they also happen to have a thriving business in the sale of whale flesh and other whale products. Hmmm … sounds pretty fishy (or should I say "sea-kitteny"?) to me.

Do we have to paint a picture for you? No worries—our good friends over at Experience Project already have. Check out their short but extremely powerful video on whaling here:

If you can watch it without reaching for a hanky, you are a stronger person than I am. While there, you can also take a minute to put your John Hancock on a letter to President Obama urging him to stand by his campaign promise to strengthen the international ban on whaling (which the Japanese and Norwegians are pretty much thumbing their noses at).

Written by Alisa Mullins