Monday, October 20, 2003 10:42 PM

RE: Summerlee Foundation grant- First nations

Hi Gail

The BC SPCA actually received the Summerlee grant funding in the spring of this year but Summerlee committed the money last year because they still had money in their funding cycle. We are still in the process of gathering the information for this project. We hired, on a contractual basis, Linda Locke, a First Nations lawyer living in Hazelton. Linda has been contacting all the First Nations communities in the north personally, where possible, and by phone, mail and email with others, to do a comprehensive survey of the situation regarding animals within First Nations communities. Her work is scheduled to be complete in mid-November. Linda's main role is to help establish partnerships and contacts that will help us find ways of working together in respectful, supportive ways to help with pet overpopulation problems and other animal issues.

The BC SPCA will be evaluating the results with Linda and recommending to our Board of Directors a strategy to help deal with surplus animal problems and other associated issues such as packing and biting dogs, zoonotic disease and parasite issues, euthanasia practices, animal control and others. Our hope is that we can leverage monies from foundations, corporations and other funding sources to purchase and operate a mobile spay/neuter clinic that can visit remote communities starting in the North. We, of course, will have to generate the required funding to make this work but this is our thinking at this time. We hope that in 2004 we can raise the necessary funds for the project which will cost the SPCA close to half a million dollars including the costs for the vehicle, the supplies, the education support, the veterinarian and the animal health technologists in year one - less, of course, to operate each year after.

Regards,

Craig Naherniak
BC SPCA General Manager, Humane Education