Fort Erie’s animal control contract switches hands

A new, but familiar, organization will be back in charge of animal care and control for the Town of Fort Erie.

Councillors turned down a recommendation from staff to continue the agreement it had with the Humane Society of Greater Niagara (HSGN), instead opting to return to the Fort Erie SPCA, which had held the contract up until 2022. They made the decision at the May 12 council-in-committee meeting.

“I think that they (the Fort Erie SPCA) can provide the service that this community requires,” said Mayor Wayne Redekop.

HSGN took over the contract when concerns were raised about the Fort Erie SPCA’s operation, namely around policy and governance. Redekop and a few councillors pointed out the SPCA has taken steps to address those concerns. Because of that, they decided earlier this year not to extend the contract with HSGN but instead give the SPCA a chance to put in a bid.

“I think they have taken steps, and absolutely moved forward in the right direction,” said Councillor Ann-Marie Noyes.

The switch wasn’t an indictment on the Humane Society, Noyes added, saying she hasn’t heard anything negative about their work.

Instead, Redekop said the decision is the result of Fort Erie councillors considering other factors.

Returning to the Fort Erie SPCA will also save the municipality a few dollars, as it comes in at just over $140,000 for the first year, with increases of two per cent in each of the following two. There’s also an option to extend beyond the three years.

The HSGN’s submission would have cost the Town $154,000 in year one. Over the course of the three years, the Town will be saving approximately $44,000.

That alone seemed enough to convince Councillor Nick Dubanow.

“For me it’s an easy decision, it’s less of an impact on our levy,” he said.

But there were other reasons. Redekop said the fact the Fort Erie SPCA maintains an ongoing physical presence in town is one. And overarching disdain for regionalization was another, added Councillor George McDermott.

Councillor Darren Flagg did express concern that choosing a vendor based mostly on them being local could “open up a Pandora’s box.”

“We’re walking a very dangerous slope,” he said.

The move to the Fort Erie SPCA does come with a couple conditions. The first is a request to include a town councillor on the organization’s board. A second is that they provide an ability to renew dog licences digitally, a service the HSGN offers.

According to the staff report, the evaluation committee unanimously recommended the HSGN over the Fort Erie SPCA. A multi-stage review process gave scores to the two entries based on technical and financial aspects.

HSGN outscored the SPCA on the technical side, but finished slightly behind it on the financial side, leaving HSGN as the highest ranked entry on the scored review.

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