At its Municipal Planning Commission meeting on May 5, Peace River town council discussed concerns regarding Peace River SPCA’s development permit application to build in its former Lot 15, Block 15 location.
Concerns were raised via letters to council from people living within the area about the SPCA being rebuilt at its former location at 9510 94 Avenue. The site is largely a commercial area but also features a residential district.
“I have owned four properties within a three-block radius in the past 20 years and the noise of constant barking from the shelter was not acceptable for an existing residential area,” writes Jeanne Kalyn in a letter to the Town petitioning the shelter from being rebuilt at its proposed location.
“I understand the area is zoned commercial residential but is primarily residential at this time.”
Another Peace River resident urges council to consider the location for a community park to add additional green space to the community and consider a different location for the shelter.
“94th Ave. is a busy mixed residential and commercial corridor that also functions as a school zone,” says Fred Castelino.
“For the health and well-being of animals, it is widely recommended that shelter environments be located in quieter areas where animals feel safe and begin to decompress. The constant traffic, noise, and activity in this location could contribute to unnecessary stress for dogs and cats that are already coming from difficult or traumatic situations.”
A complete list of people against the shelter being built at the location and additional letters can be found on the Town of Peace River’s website.
Letters and a petition in support of the SPCA were also given to the town council in advance of the municipal planning commission meeting in response to the letters and petition against the facility being erected.
“From both an ownership and operational standpoint, I can confirm that the SPCA’s presence has had no negative impact on our business or the surrounding industrial area,” says Chayba Hose & Fittings Ltd. chief executive officer Brad Chayba in a letter to SPCA.
“Since your organization has been established in the area, we have noticed an increase in positive activity, including individuals walking dogs and making regular use of the surrounding space. This has contributed to a more active and visible environment, which we believe has had a positive effect overall.”
He adds having the Peace River SPCA as their neighbour is a value to their business and the shelter’s presence has been a positive addition to the area.
SPCA also received support from Ecole Springfield School saying the animal shelter helps provide invaluable educational and volunteer opportunities for students. The school is prepared to actively support the SPCA with student volunteers, educational partnerships, and community engagement.
“Prior to the temporary move, many students and staff would take a break from working, head over to the SPCA and spend time with the animals,” says a letter from the Peace Regional Outreach School staff.
“This allowed them to decompress, reset and be ready to move on with their day. Others would take the opportunity to take the dogs for walks. Being outside in nature and getting more physically active was a byproduct of these walks.”
The team added that taking care of animals helps humans naturally become more empathetic and compassionate, and partnering with SPCA allowed their students to build their skills on a regular basis.
The proposed development at the location is an animal care facility that is used largely as a shelter to house, care and adopt animals to new homes. The building proposed will have a variety of spaces to accommodate daily operations, animal welfare needs, and staff activities.
The facility will include indoor and outdoor dog kennels, a cattery and cat condominium areas, and designated isolation rooms for both cats and dogs. It will also have an adoption room to facilitate animal viewing and placement, a medical room for basic care, reception area, staff offices, conference room, kitchen and staff lounge.
A decision on the matter was tabled after the SPCA team aired on the side of caution, asking one of the councillors to not be involved in the decision. Mayor Shelly Shannon says SPCA erred on the side of caution to determine if a councillor who donated his land should be involved in the decision.
“Councillor Brad Carr was asked to declare conflict, so lawyers are now checking it out,” says Shannon.
“Council also would not have had quorum without Councillor Carr, so they had to postpone until it could be determined if he is actually in conflict.”
The land-use district of the area proposed is Commercial Residential District, the purpose of the district is to provide commercial and residential development adjacent to the Town’s central business district.
A decision will be made at the next municipal planning commission with a date to be announced.
More letters, petitions and support of the facility can be found at peaceriver.civicweb.net on the May 5 Municipal Planning Commission agenda.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter