‘Extremely disappointing’: Alberta Animal Rescue Society (AARCS) closing Edmonton facility

The Alberta Animal Rescue Society (AARCS) is closing its Edmonton facility, North Haven, with the goal of centralizing operations in Calgary to reduce costs and enhance services.

Executive director Deanna Thompson said the decision was made to ensure long-term financial stability while maintaining animal welfare programs.

“The non-profit and animal welfare world has changed a lot in the past five years. So, this was a strategic decision we made that will help us meet the needs of animals and of our community by centralizing operations in Calgary and reducing costs overall,” she said, noting the organization is doing fine financially, but wants to ensure it uses “donor dollars the best way we can.”

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The organization’s facility in Calgary remains the main operations centre and “it desperately needs work,” she said, explaining the need to prioritize and expand this main hub “just to be able to maximize our impact.”

The animals currently housed at North Haven will remain available for adoption until the closure, which is set for 2 1/2 months from now. Looking ahead, animals in need of rescue in Edmonton will have to be transported to Calgary for care and adoption.

“Any animals that are not adopted by the closing date will be brought to Calgary for adoption through our facility and our foster home network here,” she said.

The closure decision was made by AARCS’s board of directors and leadership team. Staff and volunteers were notified in January.

“We are working with a number of groups in Edmonton that are potentially looking to take on the facility,” she added. “That would be the number 1 outcome.”

AARCS is also exploring ways to keep some services available in Edmonton, including the food bank assistance program.

“We’re hoping to potentially keep the good bank assistance program open if we have volunteer support for that,” she said. “And we have provided them (staff and volunteers) with information on other organizations doing similar work in Edmonton where they could potentially go and volunteer their time.”

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Difficult news for staff, volunteers

The news has been difficult for staff and volunteers, many of whom have dedicated years to caring for animals at North Haven.

Nola Vorra, who has been volunteering with AARCS for over five years, described the closure as “devastating.”

“AARCS has been a large part of my life for over five years. Many of the volunteers have grown so close through our love of animals that this isn’t just a loss of a volunteer opportunity, but it’s a loss of family, friendships, and community,” she said. “Many of us, myself included, referred to North Haven as our ‘Happy Place.’”

Vorra said the news was “sudden” and came down to “money and reallocating resources towards making the Calgary location better.”

“This is very devasting for the North Haven volunteers who have worked tirelessly, spending many hours and financial resources to help North Haven be successful. Many volunteers don’t feel like that we were given a chance to help further in that respect,” she said.

Vorra shared a personal story about a dog named Dorthea, later known as Dory, who struggled at the rescue for months.

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“She did not do well there and would pace and run up the walls of the kennel out of anxiety. Despite our best efforts to provide exercise and attention, she was still very stressed,” she said,

Vorra took her in as a foster, and the transformation was immediate.

“Dory was smart as a whip and learned many basic commands in one training session. Watching her true personality come through was the most rewarding.”

She also spoke about her foster journey, mentioning Huey, her “foster fail.”

“Before I knew it I was on my 10th foster, Huey, and I just knew he was home from the day I got him,” Vorra said. “Huey became my ‘foster fail’ or my greatest ‘foster win,’ as some would say. He also has helped me to foster seven other dogs since I adopted him.”

Chantel Wheeler, who volunteers at North Haven with her 13-year-old daughter Rayden Martin, shared her disappointment.

“I feel like Edmonton always gets overlooked and everything goes to Calgary,” she said, adding volunteering with AARCS was also about bonding with her daughter.

“It’s also allowed my 13-year-old daughter to volunteer with me and learn what is all involved in taking care of these animals. It’s great work experience for her and great bonding time for us,” she said, noting most places don’t allow kids under 16 to volunteer, saying her daughter “won’t get that opportunity” anymore.

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She’s worried about the impact on animals in the region.

“I feel like there are many animals in need in Edmonton and Edmonton area that will no longer get the support because the smaller rescues in Edmonton don’t have the space that AARCS had nor is a funding,” Wheeler said.

“It’s extremely disappointing and I wish they would reconsider.”

cnguyen@postmedia.com 

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