Animals needing a home in Prince George will benefit from a Crown land lease of 1.18 hectares beside Exhibition Park to the North Cariboo District Branch of the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA).

The 30-year lease allows the BC SPCA to build a new, 929-square-metre (10,000-sq. ft.) community animal and education centre, a 279-square-metre (3,000-sq. ft.) barn for horses next to a paddock that will be used for daily exercise, and a 26-stall parking lot that will prevent traffic congestion, provide ample space for visitors and function as an area to host events such as fundraisers and children’s birthdays, in addition to dog-walking. Prior to the 30-year lease the Crown is issuing an interim licence of occupation so the SPCA can meet the city of Prince George’s rezoning requirements.

The Crown land is situated over 250 metres from the nearest residential property, backing onto vacant Crown land and city-owned green space that can function as a dog-walking and outdoor interactive public-education space. It is also next to the Prince George Equestrian Centre, and is just minutes from public transit.

Designs for the new facility include a 20-metre treed buffer between the barn/paddock and the existing off-leash dog park to the south and west of the property, as well as a retained treed area between the barn/paddock and outdoor dog kennels, to isolate and reduce any possible stress on the horses from dog barking.

Outdoor dog exercise pens will be built near the main building and an outside storage shed will be located immediately behind the centre.

The new facilities will be an upgrade to the current facility, which was built as a pound and not designed to hold animals for longer terms. Additionally, the current facility is located in a city-owned building and, should the BC SPCA lose the current animal-control contract, they would need to vacate the building and would cease to have a permanent facility in Prince George, which could negatively affect sheltered animals.

The BC SPCA, a non-profit community organization, is the largest animal welfare organization of its kind in North America. Their mission is to “protect and enhance the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in B.C.”. This mission, along with their vision to create positive change is what drives them to rescue, protect and nurture vulnerable animals. Prince George’s North Cariboo District Branch alone provides care and protection to thousands of animals each year.

Quotes:

Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations –

“This Crown land lease will provide the North Cariboo District Branch BC SPCA with more suitable, permanent and purpose-built facilities.”

Norm Letnick, Minister of Agriculture –

“The new facilities that will be built on this Crown land will help BC SPCA staff provide better care for the many animals that need permanent families and places to call home.”

Shirley Bond, MLA for Prince George-Valemount –

“Having a secure location and improved facility will serve the North Cariboo Branch BC SPCA now and into the future. All of us want to ensure that vulnerable animals have the care that they need, and this step will support the SPCA as they provide care and protection to thousands of animals in our region.”

Mike Morris, MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie –

“The new North Cariboo Branch BC SPCA facilities will be close to public transit and easily accessible for volunteers. It will also be highly visible, and will hopefully translate into increased animal adoptions.”

Jennifer Gore, president, BC SPCA –

“The BC SPCA is grateful to the Province for providing this Crown land. We have a goal of finding new facilities for eight shelters as part of our provincial five-year development plan. Being purpose-built, the new facilities will provide greater ease in taking care of the animals and making them more comfortable. The high-visibility location should also result in increased animal adoptions.”

Learn More:

More information on the North Cariboo District Branch of the BC SPCA can be found at: http://www.spca.bc.ca/branches/north-cariboo/