Grey municipality readies plan ‘B’ for animal welfare

by SUSAN MANN

Residents of Grey and Bruce counties will know by the end of this week if the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will continue servicing their area.

But at least one municipality located on the southern shore of Georgian Bay has already made alternate plans in the event the society follows through on its announcement earlier this year of plans to close its rented office in Hanover by June 1 due to budget limitations. Since making the announcement the society has been working to establish fee-for-service arrangements with area municipalities.

Rob Armstrong, planning and building director for the Municipality of Meaford, says his first recommendation outlined in a report to council – and accepted by the council – was to retain the OSPCA’s services based on a yearly set fee “if that service is still available to us.” The municipality has 11,500 people.

Armstrong says OSPCA officials told them they need about eight municipalities in Grey and Bruce counties to sign on for the fee-for-service “to be able to provide that service.”

Agent Brad Dewar, OSPCA investigations and communications officer, couldn’t be reached for comment.

Armstrong’s report outlined a second option of service provided by the Ontario Provincial Police with the help of a local contract employee. The police would be on hand to deal with charges if they’re needed, while the contract employee would help assess the animals’ health and handle their care.

Currently Meaford doesn’t pay for the OSPCA service. But going with the option of the OSPCA providing the fee-for-service would cost about $12,000 a year. The cost for the second option isn’t known yet, Armstrong says.

If there aren’t any events there won’t be a charge. But on the other hand if there are major events “it could cost us significantly,” he says.

Meaford already pays for OPP services and there wouldn’t be additional charges for the police responding to animal welfare calls but there would be charges for the contract employee providing assistance. “We’ve heard that a puppy mill can cost you about $50,000 for the care of the animals,” he says.

Last year, Meaford had 30 calls but not all of them were animal care violations, Armstrong says.

Wayne Balon, president of the Grey Federation of Agriculture, says they completed and distributed a resource list for the municipalities and OPP. The federation has now stepped back from the situation.

Each municipality would have a different idea of how it wants the service provided for its area, he says, noting they’re waiting for the June 1 deadline to see “what happens.”

John Gillespie, president of the Bruce Federation of Agriculture, says they worked with the municipalities and police “to put a plan in place so if the OSPCA is not there and there is an animal care problem it will be dealt with.” BF