Preliminary trial date for woman charged after giving water to pigs

The preliminary hearing for a woman charged with mischief after providing water to pigs en route to a slaughterhouse has been set for the end of November.

Animal rights activist Anita Krajnc says she was on a roadway median giving water to pigs on a hot day in June as trucks hauling the animals stopped at an intersection in Burlington, Ont. One of the trucks' drivers took exception.

An argument ensued, which was captured on video, that shows Krajnc feeding water to some of the pigs via a water bottle she pushed through the slats of the truck's trailer as the driver demanded she stop.

The pigs' owner, Eric Van Hoekel, complained to police the next day and charges were formally laid against Krajnc in October.

She says she will continue her activism with the group she founded, Toronto Pig Save, and plans to give water to pigs near the same slaughterhouse on Thursday, although these animals aren't likely to be dealing with any heat issues — the forecast calls for rain and a high of 19C.

Van Hoekel says he will continue to use the law to its full extent if Krajnc tries once again to provide his pigs with a sip of water before they're slaughtered.

Animal rights activists have aligned behind Kranjc, and will hold a vigil at the courthouse on Wednesday. Their social media efforts include the hashtag #StandWithAnita and the phrase "Compassion is not a crime."

Krajnc said her group stands on a traffic island at Appleby Line and Harvester Road once a week to "bear witness" to the animals going to slaughter at Fearman's Pork Inc.

Krajnc said the driver got out and told them to stop, and she quoted a Bible verse at him about giving water to the thirsty.

"He said, 'They're not humans, you dumb frigging broad,'" she told CBC News on Tuesday.

The pork farmer who owned the pigs, Eric Van Boekel of Oxford County, contacted police the next day, court documents say. Police investigated and pursued the mischief charge. Punishment for the charge ranges from a fine to up to 10 years in prison.

Gary Grill, Kranjc's Toronto-based lawyer, said the charge is puzzling. "In legal circles, people are scratching their heads."

"Taxpayers are paying for this."

Kranjc, 48, said if she is fined, she will refuse to pay. And she and other activists will be in Burlington again on Thursday.

"It's better to try to help than to look the other way," she said.