‘This is a problem’: Saskatoon SPCA says it will be forced to shut down without city funding
The Saskatoon SPCA says it may be forced to shutdown unless it gets a boost in funding from the city.
The organization asked councillors for additional funding on the first day of city budget deliberations.
Graham Dickson, the executive director of the SPCA, requested $50,000 per month until the organization negotiates a new funding agreement with the city.
Without the money, which will mainly cover staffing costs, Dickson said the facility will be “inevitably forced to close its doors this time next year.
”Over the past few years, under different management, the SPCA has taken about $430,000 out of its reserves to stay afloat, according to Dickson. “We only have about a year's worth of money left in our reserves to keep us afloat. So, this is a problem,” Dickson said, who became the executive director in March 2020.
“I don't know if there was a an awareness of just how underfunded we were until last year. We're under new management right now.”
Dickson said the city currently covers about 30 per cent, or $620,319, of the SPCA’s $2-million operating budget. He hopes the city funding will increase, to cover the cost of running the city pound – instead of relying on fundraised dollars. Then, the money raised through fundraising would go towards building an SPCA veterinary clinic.
“That’s our real goal right now,” Dickson told CTV News.
With an on-site vet, Dickson said pet medical costs would be reduced.
“We could also potentially provide affordable spays and neuters to the the community at large,” Dickson said.
Dickson said more animals being brought to the pound has contributed to the debt. The city 2022-2023 budget was put forward by administration last week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Tropical fish stolen from Beachburg, Ont. restaurant found and returned
Ontario Provincial Police have landed a suspect following a fishy theft in Beachburg, Ont.
U.S. FAA launches investigation into unauthorized personnel in cockpit of Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto
The U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video that appears to show unauthorized personnel in the cockpit of a charted Colorado Rockies flight to Toronto.