Montreal is moving forward with its centralized animal center project with an expected cost of 158 million over ten years.
Posted at 5:06 p.m.
The majority of local elected officials voted on Tuesday to conclude this contract with the non-profit organization Proanima. The facility, expected to open in 2026, will be able to accommodate 7,050 animals and serve as a base for all animal control services. It will be located in the east-central part of the city.
“We have the courage to go forward and do something,” argued Maja Vodanovic, the people’s representative responsible for the file. “We will finally have a contract with a reputable NPO recognized in Quebec for the best animal management practices. »
“Fifty percent of Montrealers have a pet. For her he is a member of the family. “It is important for us to provide the best possible service and know that if an animal goes missing, people can easily find it,” she continued. Yes, the costs are higher. But it’s the right cost, it’s the appropriate cost. »
Around 15,000 animals are abandoned in Montreal every year. Hundreds of them are euthanized.
“A mess,” said the opposition
The official opposition in the town hall voted for the project, albeit reluctantly.
“When our political party comes together to vote [en faveur]“She does it with great restraint,” said Saint-Laurent County Mayor Alan DeSousa. “Not because we don’t care about the animals being treated. But because the government has mishandled this issue and therefore this proposal is a mess. »
“It stinks so bad that we have to hold our noses to vote for it for the sake of our animals,” he added.
In addition to the opposition, independent elected official Richard Deschamps also sharply criticized the project. Mr Deschamps was on Gérald Tremblay’s board when the idea of a central animal center came up in 2011.
“I agree that there should be centralization,” he said. I’m fighting to make it cost the citizens of Montreal as little as possible, which I’m not convinced about. »
For a dozen years, the city of Montreal has been reluctant to establish a centralized animal service. In 2011, a mega animal shelter project that could house 12,000 animals was announced before the planned location was changed twice and then canceled entirely in 2020. The Plante administration then mentioned establishing several local animal centers, then three island-wide facilities.
Currently, each county must manage its own animal service. The majority of them have entrusted this responsibility to the SPCA, which has long expressed a desire to withdraw from this market.
Mayor Valérie Plante will formalize the animal center project during an announcement scheduled for this Wednesday at 10 a.m.