Uphill battle as cramped SPCA in Corner Brook searches for new space

The SPCA in Corner Brook bought a new building on the north shore of the Bay of Islandsabout four years ago, but the non-profit organization is still far away from calling it home, mired in financial and structural issues.

"We're nowhere near close to what we need to get in over there," Donna Luther, the president ofthe NL West SPCA, told CBC Radio's Corner Brook Morning Show.

Luther said it's been tough to raise the approximately $350,000 needed to bring the new building up to national building code standards amid the regular upkeep costs at the temporary shelter in Curling.

"We have ongoing expenses every month vet bills for our animals, some salaries," she said.

The biggest stumbling block in the new space has been fire suppression.

"That's the main thing that we need to put over there first before we can occupy that building," she said, adding the organization forked out money for a sprinkler system a few years ago, but it turned out to be inadequate for the building's needs.

Aproper system will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Space crunch

At the same time as volunteers try to raise money for the new building, their temporary shelter on ConnorsRoadis just about at the end of its useful life.

"Our biggest issue is space," said Luther.

"We'd like to bring in more animals, have more cages, have a quarantine area all the necessary things that's needed to run a SPCA."

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Luther said her group needs an interim space, and is working with both a real estate agent and the City of Corner Brook to find it.

Amid all of that, there is constant fundraising like the group's weekly Chase The Ace draw, but Luther said the uphill battle the group faces to a permanent home isn't taking a toll on its many volunteers.

"Every time a cat or a kitten or a dog comes into that building, it does your heart good. So how can morale be bad when you're doing something good for the animals?"