Construction set to resume on P.E.I. Humane Society's 'fear-free' shelter

The P.E.I. Humane Society is restarting the construction of its new shelter in Charlottetown after increased costs forced the organization to pause work on the project last fall.

"Inflation was just outpacing our fundraising efforts," saidAshley Travis, development and communications co-ordinator with the P.E.I. Humane Society.

"We wanted to make sure that the project itself wasn't going to impact operations at the shelter. That's our first priority, always."

Since pausing construction, Travis said the humane society worked with the provincial government and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to get more funding for the project.

"In thenext couple of weeks, we'll have trucks on site."

The money from the province and ACOA is new, Travissaid. The initial fundingfor the construction, about $3.8 million,was raised throughprivate donationsand community organizations.

The federal agency is providing$535,000 and the province is kicking in $350,000. Finance P.E.I., a provincial Crown corporation for economic development, has also loaned the humane society $2 million for the construction.

Before work was paused, the shelter planned to open the new building this fall. Now, that date looks more like spring or summer of 2025, Travissaid.

Designed with animals in mind

The new building, which sits behind the humane society's existing locationon Sherwood Road, has a roof and walls, but inside there's not much done, Travis said.

"It's sort of a big open space at the moment, with a slab poured."

Now, crews are there prepping the site for construction to resume.

When it's done, the building will have geothermal heat, a specialized HVAC system and other features to meet a "fear-free design standard," Travis said.

"Animals need a less stressful environment to stay in. Especially when they're in a shelter environment. They're away from home. They're away from what they've known in the past," she said.

That fear-freestandard has become the goal of many shelters across the country, she said, and takes into account what animals will experience in a space, and things that could scare them.

"[Animals] deserve to be able to stay here stress-free. And that is not something we're able to provide ... in our current facility."

For instance, humans may not be bothered by the type of lighting in a room, but animals prefer natural light.

"You and I can come in, work for eight hours in a space and not care if there is fluorescent lighting," Travis said."For an animal, that can actually cause anxiety, because they may not be used to it."

The construction willeven considerhow sound bounces around a room and what colour of paint is on the walls. The new shelter will have sound baffling in high-traffic areas and walls painted withtones that are calming to animals, she said.

"These are all things that go into the fundamental design of the building that will improve the quality of stay for our animals in the long term."

The shelter currently works with about 2,000 animals a year, and that number is expected to go up when the new facility opens, she said.

Travis expects construction on the 17,000-square-foot facility to resume in the next two to three weeks.