'It is disheartening,' St. John's SPCA says of city's funding cut
Council voted to reduce funding from $10,000 to $3,300
The SPCA will have to make do with less money from the City of St. John's.
Council voted Monday night to reduce funding for the local branch of the SPCA from $10,000 to $3,300.
Simone Browne, chairperson with the SPCA, says while grants make up a small part of the group's budget, this cut will still hurt.
While we absolutely appreciate every dollar that we get from the city, it is disheartening.- Simone Browne
"While we absolutely appreciate every dollar that we get from the city, it is disheartening."
The city's finance committee said with the city already having a humane services department, the SPCA is a duplication of services.
But Browne said that's not the case.
"We work very closely with humane services but we also work very hard to make sure we don't duplicate, no one wants to be wasting a dollar, we all have limited funding," said Browne.
More discussions are needed with the city, she said, to make sure everyone involved is aware of the SPCA's mandate.
'Every dollar does in fact matter'
While humane services takes in stray animals from within the city limits, Browne said the SPCA covers the entire Avalon region.
They also take in animals that owners give up, as well as helping out humane services when it's at capacity, she added.
Browne said around 1,000 animals come through the local SPCA per year, with 17 per cent of those coming from the city's humane services department.
The SPCA spays and neuters all adopted animals in their care and gives them full veterinary assessments.
We spend efficiently, so every dollar does in fact matter to us and our money goes to vet care.- Simone Browne
Browne said the organization was getting approximately $60 dollars per animal for those needs, but this cut will leave them with around $20 dollars per animal to provide the necessary care.
"Like most charities out there we spend carefully, we spend deliberately and we spend efficiently, so every dollar does in fact matter to us and our money goes to vet care," she said.
Meanwhile, Browne hopes donations from the public will cover the shortfall in the city grant.
"If it doesn't come from a provincial or municipal grant, and only three per cent of our revenue does, it has to go back to the community, to the individuals and the business community to fill that gap."
Corrections
- A previous version of this story said the SPCA was the only organization in the city that spays and neuters its animals. While other organizations in the city do spray and neuter animals, SPCA officials say they are the only organization who spays and neuters all of their adopted animals.Jan 19, 2016 4:24 PM NT