OLDS — The Town of Olds' chief administrative officer has until June 30 to investigate how the municipality could best handle the problem of dealing with and housing stray animals.
The town's council passed a motion to that effect last month in response to a notice of motion on the matter, filed earlier by Coun. Darren Wilson.
Wilson spoke to his motion.
He stressed that in his opinion, the town isn’t in a crisis situation when it comes to dealing with and housing stray animals.
However, he said the matter does come up for discussion in council from time to time about the service level that the town’s municipal enforcement officers can provide for animal control.
“I know we are challenged and forced to make difficult decisions, only in the sense that we don’t have an animal shelter to aid and assist with when animals need to be, I guess seized or sheltered and put in a facility, which then requires compromises in terms of our service levels,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the notice of motion was not meant to suggest that the Town of Olds should immediately set aside money for a shelter -- he noted that Olds is facing big challenges with infrastructure costs -- but rather that it should be “forward looking” and examine potential solutions to the problem.
Wilson also said that solution, whatever it might be, almost certainly won’t involve just the Town of Olds alone, but more likely partnerships with “everybody from the county, municipalities, perhaps some existing facilities that are involved with animal and animal care and sheltering, certainly the province and the college perhaps.”
Mayor Judy Dahl spoke in favour of Wilson’s idea, saying on March 21 she received an email from an Olds resident who likes the idea of creating an animal shelter in Olds.
Dahl said that person would like to be involved in such a project and knows others who would like to help too.
The email writer said there are wonderful animal shelters in Didsbury and Crossfield but they are overwhelmed.
Dahl said as a result, if Olds did investigate the possibility of setting up a shelter, people from surrounding municipalities would come forward to help “without a doubt.”
Wilson said as Olds and surrounding communities continue to grow, the problem of controlling and housing stray animals will likely only grow.
“We know this is only going to become more and more of a situation that requires attention,” he said.
