SPCA mulls future of animal shelter

By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News

Thursday, June 02, 2005

The B.C. SPCA is asking Prince Rupert residents to come out to a public meeting next Thursday to discuss the future of the society on the North Coast.

“The Prince Rupert branch has been operating at a significant deficit for some time now and we need to meet with the community to look at new models of how we can continue to provide help for the animals,” said Craig Daniell, CEO of the B.C. SPCA. “It is important that we do this in close discussion with the key stakeholders in the community — our staff, volunteers, donors and other residents of Prince Rupert.”

The meeting will take place Thurs, June 9, at 7 p.m. at the Prince Rupert SPCA shelter at 1740 Prince Rupert Boulevard.

The Prince Rupert SPCA is the last branch of the society in the Northwest that operates using a traditional shelter method. This is why it is so important for the community to discuss how they want to proceed, said Mary Lou Troman, volunteer president of the B.C. SPCA.

“I think that the solution for Prince Rupert really must be a community-based solution,” she said. “We don’t want to dictate to the community what the solution will be.”

The nearest shelter branch of the SPCA was in Kitimat, however it was mainly supported by the animal control contract, which was given over to an individual this past March, explained Troman. The SPCA did not own the shelter in Kitimat and it was also turned over to the new contract holder.

The closure of the Kitimat SPCA shelter undoubtedly contributed to the recent influx of animals to the Rupert SPCA. Because there is no SPCA in Terrace, all of the Kitimat animals were sent directly to Prince Rupert.

“Prince Rupert is ‘it’ for the traditional shelter model [in the Northwest],” she said. “It’s why it is such a concern to the executive committee.”

The Prince Rupert shelter has been running a cash deficit for a number of years, with a $156,000 deficit in 2003 and $87,000 in 2004. The Prince Rupert SPCA, which has been at its current location since 2000, owns its shelter and leases the land.

Although the Prince Rupert SPCA managed to lower its deficit in 2004, it was also the year it took a $20,000 hit when the city decided to go with private contractors to care for impounded dogs and reduced it’s contract with the SPCA by 50 per cent. The SPCA had been under contract with the city for $43,000 annually since 1996.

Troman said they need to ensure deficit spending is done in a way that benefits the animals most and as such, the meeting will focus on looking at models or methods used in other parts of the province, as well as examining local suggestions on how to continue to provide the services.

“We don’t want to move out of the community of Prince Rupert. We want a presence in the Northwest. It’s important to us,” said Troman.

The Prince Rupert SPCA, as the only remaining branch operating with the traditional shelter model, also provides critical support for the animal protection department throughout the Northwest, she said.

Community support, either in the form of financial donations or volunteer efforts, are critical to the future of the branch.

“We know it [the meeting] is not going to be 100 per cent positive,” she said. “But it’s important to hear how the community wants to deal with it.”