The Edmonton Humane Society says it will no longer enforce the Animal Protection Act within city limits after the end of January.
“[Edmonton Humane Society] has recognized the organization is not an expert in enforcement,” says a statement posted to the organization’s website on Tuesday.
“This change will allow EHS to re-focus on their areas of expertise, which includes animal welfare and advocacy.”
The Alberta SPCA says the task of enforcing the animal protection legislation will now fall to the Edmonton Police Service.
CBC News requested an interview with humane society officials but had not heard back by early afternoon Wednesday.
The Animal Protection Act (APA) is provincial legislation designed to protect mistreated animals and hold negligent owners accountable for their actions.
The Alberta SPCA enforces the animal protection legislation in municipalities outside of Edmonton and Calgary under agreements with local police agencies.
In a news release Wednesday, the Alberta SPCA said it became aware of the Edmonton Humane Society’s decision late last year.
“Without a memorandum of understanding in place, the Edmonton Police Service becomes the agency responsible for enforcing the APA in Edmonton as it does for other provincial statutes,” the Alberta SPCA said in its statement.
“Given this potential gap in services, the Alberta SPCA is willing to participate in discussions to help determine how best to enforce animal protection legislation in Edmonton after Feb. 1.”
The statement said the Alberta SPCA is “optimistic there will be clarity soon on how animal welfare situations will be handled in Edmonton, and who Edmontonians can call when they have an animal welfare concern.”
In its own statement, the humane society said it had been “voluntarily” providing APA enforcement services within Edmonton. The service was funded through donations and some funding from the City of Edmonton, but operated without funding from the provincial government, the humane society said.
“Upcoming policy changes under the provincial Peace Officer Act forced EHS to evaluate the viability of its enforcement program,” the statement said.
It’s not clear how many peace officers are employed by the humane society or how many calls they answer each year in Edmonton. The humane society said it is working with the province to determine who will do the job.
The City of Edmonton will help the Edmonton Police Service “on any urgent animal-related calls when there is an animal in immediate distress,” city spokesperson Carol Hurst said in an e-mailed statement. A report on different options for the city will go to council on Feb. 11.
Hurst did not respond to questions about how much money the city has contributed to the humane society for the enforcement program or for how long.
The provincial government has not yet responded to questions about the future administration of the Animal Protection Act in Edmonton.