Local SPCA receives $1 million for new permanent shelter

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Fort St. John SPCA will receive $1 million from the B.C. government for a new permanent shelter after an assessment in 2022 found that their previous facility was unsafe for use.

The funding was a part of the province’s announcement Monday that will provide $12 million to help build SPCA shelter replacements in Vancouver, Duncan, Prince George and Fort St. John.

“We greatly appreciate this significant support from the Province for these four communities where our aging facilities are making the care and protection of vulnerable animals increasingly difficult,” says Marcie Moriarty, BC SPCA’s chief of protection and outreach services.

The Fort St. John SPCA signed a three-year lease in February after months of trying to find a temporary home once their previous location was deemed unsafe for use in March 2022. 

The completed structural assessments determined that animals, staff and volunteers cannot safely return to the building, according to the SPCA. Despite the situation, SPCA staff continued providing animal services with the help of foster homes and local kennels, as well as staff working off-site to respond to animal-related calls.

“It can be particularly challenging to access support for animals in northern B.C. That’s why we’re 100 per cent committed to staying in Fort St. John and thrilled that the funding from the government of B.C. will help us re-establish a permanent location, said Jamey Blair, BC SPCA senior manager for Interior/North Animal Care Services.

In a release following the funding announcement, the BC SPCA said the timeline of the new Fort St. John facility “is dependent on securing a permanent location that meets our unique animal sheltering needs.”

It is estimated that the four facilities being replaced offer care to thousands of pets per year in B.C., ranging from cats and dogs to birds, rabbits and rodents, according to the province.