Animal rescue group shutting down Edmonton location, shifting operations to Calgary

An animal shelter in Edmonton is closing its doors due to operational constraints and a lack of resources to maintain two facilities. 

The Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society(AARCS) plans to focus its efforts on its main location in Calgary, where it says it can better serve the community's needs. 

But other Edmonton animal rescues fear the closure will have a negative impact on the city's already strained animal welfare system.

The shelter, which opened its North Haven location in southeast Edmonton in 2021, announced last week that it would cease operations at the branch due to escalating costs and logistical challenges. 

"We have decided that in order to be able to meet the very high needs for animals right now in animal welfare, we need to centralize our operations and reduce costs," said Deanna Thompson, AARCS's executive director. 

The group's Calgary location serves as its main operations centre and veterinary hospital. This facility will allow better capacity to broaden community support programs, address the root causes of animal overpopulation and homelessness, and expand veterinary hospitals to offer more accessible lifesaving medical care, Thompson said.

"We're going to prioritize enhancing and expanding our central hub, and unfortunately, it's not feasible to achieve that while also maintaining operations in both cities." 

Some Edmonton animal rescue groups say they fear the closure will exacerbate an already stressed system. Infinite Woofs Animal Rescue Society rehabilitates unwanted, abused, and neglected animals and finds them foster homes. 

Infinite Woofs' rescue administrator says they are already struggling to accommodate the rising demand for services.  

"We've already started receiving calls from communities that AARCS was helping, that they're worried that with the closing of the shelter they won't be able to move their animals," said Alisha Petryshyn. "All the rescues in Alberta try to work really collaboratively so it's going to have an impact." 

Leanne Niblock, executive director of the Alberta SPCA, said many rescue groups in the province are being pushed to the limit. 

"Right now I have more than 190 animals in our care across the province with different caretakers," said Niblock. "So while we used to have more freedom of movement for animals that come into our care, into partners like AARCS, right now all of the shelters and all of the people that work in the animal welfare community are just completely stressed." 

Niblock said the numbers are unprecedented this year as there are more animals in their care than they've ever had before, partially due to an increase in abandoned animals.

Thompson said the decision to close AARCS's Edmonton location was not about abandoning the city, but rather about maximizing impact, reducing costs, streamlining operations, and ensuring consistent, high-quality care across Alberta.

"I'm really proud of what we've been able to accomplish in Edmonton," she said. "We will continue to help in taking animals. We're just going to do it in a different way as well as have adoptable animals in Edmonton through our foster home network."

Animal intake to the Edmonton facility has already ceased and the location will close in March. 

Thompson says the shelter is working to adopt out the remaining animals, but any animals not adopted prior the transition will be moved to Calgary.