Interim plans have been made to assist animals in Quesnel and area after heavy rainfall earlier this month caused a portion of the roof at the BC SPCA Quesnel Community Animal Centre to collapse.
In a Tuesday, July 12 news release, the BC SPCA announced it is currently unable to offer services from its location at 1000 Carson Pit Road.
“Thankfully, no people or animals were harmed, but it has caused significant damage to the building. The 40-year-old facility is no longer safe for animal care or to accommodate our staff, volunteers and members of the public,” stated Adrienne McBride, the BC SPCA’s senior director for Community Animal Centres.
“We are actively working with contractors and other professionals to assess the damage, including structural issues and air quality impact so that we can determine next steps.”
Branch manager Colby O’Flynn said what had started as a small localized leak appears to have spread throughout about 50 per cent of the building.
Read More: Quesnel SPCA suspends canine intake due to substantial damage caused by roof leak
Dogs and puppies were transported to facilities outside Quesnel or placed in foster homes after last week’s partial roof collapse. At the time, O’Flynn said their cat rooms were unaffected, although they would need to reduce their intake.
“Our SPCA facilities in Williams Lake and Prince George have stepped up to take in animals from the Quesnel area and we will be increasing the schedule of our animal transfer program to ensure animals from the north continue to be transported to other SPCA shelters in the province,” McBride said, adding the unfortunate situation is beyond their control.
“We appreciate the public’s patience as we await more information that will determine our next steps.”
For all animal control services, including stray dogs, the City of Quesnel can be contacted at 250-992-2111 or by email at bylaw@quesnel.ca. To report an incident of suspected animal cruelty or abuse, contact the BC SPCA at 1-855-622-7722.
Staff with the BC SPCA Quesnel Community Animal Centre are working off-site and can be reached at 250-992-7722 for other animal assistance.
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: rebecca.dyok@quesnelobserver.com
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