SPCA Takes Steps to Address Escalating Costs of Helping Animals in Need in BC

November 5, 2003. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. The BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced today that it is taking further drastic measures to address its 2003 budget deficit. For the past five months the non-profit animal welfare organization has been making substantial cutbacks, including management and branch lay-offs, to try to stem the growing cost of providing for animals in need. Each year the BC SPCA cares for more than 60,000 homeless and abused animals through services such as cruelty investigations, sheltering and adoptions, wildlife rehabilitation, emergency rescue and treatment, and farm animal protection. On any given day the SPCA provides food, shelter, veterinarian care and rehabilitation for more than 4,000 animals around the province, ranging from dogs and cats, to livestock, primates, rabbits, exotic birds, reptiles and 'pocket pets'. During emergency situations, like this summer's forest fires in the Interior, that number can increase by the thousands.

"Many people don't realize how enormously expensive it is to care for the volume of injured and abandoned animals that the SPCA takes in every day," says Daniell. "The expenses we've incurred in our deficit have been for important activities at the heart of our mission - sheltering, veterinary care, rehabilitation, spay/neuter services, and cruelty investigations," says Acting CEO Craig Daniell. "Nevertheless the growth in our front-line service costs has increased much more rapidly than our growth in income and this level of spending is unsustainable.

"We all believe strongly in our vision and in these activities," adds Daniell, "but now that we have a clear picture of our financial situation it is imperative that we take drastic steps in the weeks and months ahead to ensure that we are living within the income available to us for the remainder of 2003 and beyond."

Daniell said the Society has no option but to lay off 28 staff in branches throughout the province, including 20 in the Lower Mainland. This includes several positions no longer required as the result of changes to animal control contracts. However, 3.5 positions in the Lower Mainland will be immediately reposted at a lower level and a number of new animal protection officers (Special Provincial Constables) will be hired to carry out the cruelty investigations previously handled by shelter staff.

"One of our challenges is that we are dealing with three different union locals within our workforce, in the Lower Mainland, Prince George and Victoria," says Daniell. "These staff make significantly higher wages than other staff in the province and we cannot sustain these salary levels in a charity without impacting the number of staff we can afford to hire." Daniell says the Society is not prepared to further divert funds from services such as veterinary costs and spay/neuter services in order to pay for increased union wages.

In addition to branch positions, five staff at the provincial office have been laid off, including the Chief Development Officer, the Regional Manager for Vancouver Island, an administrative assistant, one computer technology specialist, and an animal health care position. Several contract positions have also been eliminated.

Daniell says the loss of colleagues will be felt deeply by the Society. "There are few vocations as challenging and stressful as front-line animal welfare work and not a day goes by that I am not inspired and humbled by the commitment, perseverance and compassion of the people in this organization," he said. "I truly wish that we had unlimited funds to relieve the daily pressures for staff and volunteers in our shelters and to launch all of the new animal welfare initiatives we have identified as priorities. However, we have no other choice but to move quickly to address the significant gap between our income and operating expenses."

In addition to layoffs, the Society will be immediately implementing a number of other cost-saving measures, including a reduction in the hours that some branches are open to the public.

"The fact that we will have to move more slowly than we had hoped toward some of our goals is frustrating, but it does not mean that we have lost sight of our vision or our commitment to make BC a province where every animal is treated with respect and compassion," says Daniell. "In spite of our current challenges I believe the BC SPCA can be immensely proud of what we accomplish every day, in every corner of this province."

Daniell appealed to members of the public to increase their support to help the SPCA care for abused, injured and abandoned animals in BC. Donations can be made online at www.spca.bc.ca, by calling 1-800-665-1868, or by contacting your local SPCA shelter.

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Further information:
Craig Daniell, Acting CEO, BC SPCA: (604) 240-3646 (cell);
Lorie Chortyk, Community Relations Manager, BC SPCA:
(604) 647-1316, 1-800-665-1868, or 830-7179 (cell).