British Columbia, Canada, Prison System Begins Vegan Meals After Human Rights Complaint Filed By Detainees

On May 14, 2005, attorneys for the British Columbia, Canada, Provincial prison system agreed to begin a vegan meal option in response to complaints filed with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. Detainees Keith Maydak and Robert J. Anderson filed actions against the jail system when two separate facilities would not provide vegan meals and threatened to punish them if they refused to eat animal products. British Columbia prison authorities agreed to begin the meals by the end of May, 2005.

A vegan does not eat any animal products including meat, fish, egg, or cheese. Maydak and Anderson are religiously vegan based on their spiritual doctrine of not harming other living creatures. "I am pleased that the British Columbia prison authorities decided to respect human rights without the need to waste tax-payer resources on litigation," Maydak told maydakupdate.com. The vegan diet program will include tofu, soy hot dogs, and veggie burgers. "Civilized humans do not need to harm animals to eat; besides, vegan food tastes better," Robert Anderson told maydakupdate.com from the Kamloops British Columbia Correctional Centre.

Related news articles can be found at:

http://www.nupge.ca/news_2005/n15my05b.htm

More information can be found in the Vancouver Sun Article, "Human Rights Complaint Forces Prisons to Provide Vegan Meals".
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/story.html?id=7f14a9ad-1cd8-4191-b542-d51437ae047e

Contact: Keith Maydak
maydak@miserablemail.com