Image Credit: SUBMITTED/B.C. SPCA
April 06, 2019 - 9:30 AM
KAMLOOPS - A new animal care centre opened up in Kamloops yesterday.
B.C. SPCA officials and local politicians opened the new Community Animal Centre to help care for the region's most vulnerable animals, a SPCA media release says.
The centre is located on a 2.2-acre property across from the Kamloops Airport.
The $6.5 million,10,500-square-foot facility was funded through the Province of British Columbia and SPCA donors.
Those in attendance at the ground-breaking included Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, Todd Stone, MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson, and Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo. There were also representatives from the B.C. SPCA, the City of Kamloops and the Thompson Nicola Regional District. Members of the Olynyk family of Kamloops, who served as ambassadors of the High Five capital campaign to raise community donations for the facility, were also present.
The new centre includes a 2,340-square-foot spay and neuter clinic funded in part by a donation from PetSmart Charities of Canada.
"Our $114,000 grant to support this clinic is reflective of a shared belief between PetSmart Charities of Canada and the B.C. SPCA that spay and neuter programs play a pivotal role in reducing pet homelessness across the province of British Columbia, ” Deborah Turcott, acting president of PetSmart Charities says in the release.
This new Kamloops & District Community Animal Centre includes 12 kennels for dogs, five large cat rooms, designated areas for temperament and behaviour assessments, and specialized isolation areas for sick and injured animals. The centre also has a retail area for pet supplies, a dog-wash station for the public, office space for regional animal cruelty investigators and a community room for community events.
“We are extremely excited about the new centre and are grateful to the provincial government, PetSmart Charities of Canada and all the generous animal lovers in Kamloops and its surrounding regions who have helped us make this urgently needed facility a reality,” Craig Daniell, with the B.C. SPCA, said in the release.
The SPCA Kamloops and District Branch cared for more nearly 1,300 neglected, abused and homeless animals last year and offers a wide range of outreach, education and advocacy programs to promote the welfare of animals.
Funding for the Kamloops and District Community Animal Centre includes $1.5 million from the provincial government. The B.C. SPCA has received $10 million in funding from the Province towards its $60 million, eight-year Facilities Development and Services Plan to replace aging SPCA shelters in 12 B.C. communities.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2019