Hooray for strays: City’s new Animal Care and Control Centre wins Summit award

December 14, 2011

The City’s new Animal Care and Control Centre has received international recognition for its extraordinary efforts to address the physical and psychological aspects of animal housing and care.

The International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies presented the award for Animal Sheltering to City staff on October 21st, 2011 in Montebello, Quebec. The award recognizes the new Animal Care and Control Centre as an industry leader in housing animals among shelters, pounds, retail stores, kennels, grooming shops, veterinary clinics, animal hospitals and other animal facilities across Canada. Award winners must deal with not only the physical needs of the animals in their care, but also consider the psychological health of the animals by offering human contact, outdoor play and exercise, and quiet, comfortable accommodation that reduces stress levels in the animals during their stay.

"I was impressed with the quality of the nominees this year, and the City of Edmonton was no exception," said Joe Mauro, Summit Awards Committee Chair. "Edmonton's new Animal Care and Control Centre shows a holistic approach to animal well-being in a modern, efficient facility."

Animal Care and Control Centre

Animal Care and Control Centre staff reunite lost pets with owners, promote responsible pet ownership through public education, and resolve nearly 16,000 animal bylaw complaints each year. They work closely with other organizations and consult with the community to improve policies, bylaws and animal services provided by the City of Edmonton.

The City’s new $13.2 million, 25,000 square foot Animal Care and Control Centre opened on November 1, 2010. The space brings staff and services together under one roof to improve both service delivery and animal well-being. The building meets Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) environmental standards. It was funded by the City of Edmonton ($4.5 million), the federal and provincial governments through the Canada-Alberta Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund ($2.8 million), and the Government of Alberta through the Municipal Sustainability Initiative ($6 million).

Photos of the Centre and more information are available at: www.edmonton.ca/accc.

Summit Awards

The Summit is an initiative of the PetLynx Corporation and its industry partners to bring together leaders in the areas of animal control and legislation, animal health and wellness, animal welfare, and animal services. Award winners were decided by confidential electronic voting by Summit delegates and alumni. The Summit Award for Animal Sheltering was sponsored by PetSmart.

For more information:

John Simmons

Title	Acting Director, Community Standards Peace Officers Program
Telephone	780-496-8880

Susan Copeland

Title	Community Relations Coordinator, Community Standards
Telephone	780-496-8880

Joe Mauro

International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies

Title	Summit Awards Chair
Telephone	403-219-1088
Email	admin@tsuas.com