Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society set to close in Edmonton on March 28

This building which has been the base of the Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) in Edmonton will soon be vacated, as the animal shelter is set to close on March 28.

“It breaks my heart for the staff and the volunteers there,” said Deanna Thompson, the executive director of AARCS.

The Calgary-based shelter expanded to the North Haven centre off Argyll Road in 2020. However, in the last five years, it has been facing financial difficulties and is deciding not to renew its lease.

“That decision being … in order to meet the increasing needs because animal welfare, [is] very overwhelmed right now. We will centralize our operations in Calgary which helps us reduce costs and ultimately be able to help more animals across the province.”

The news comes at a time when all animal welfare organizations in Alberta are facing unprecedented pressure.

The Edmonton Humane Society says AARCS has done tremendous work in the region.

“Anytime a program closes, it creates a vacuum but we know that there’s lots of other groups working in this area and we know that we’re certainly doing the best that we can,” said Liza Sunley, the CEO of the Edmonton Humane Society.

In a statement, the Alberta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) says, “Losing any capacity puts additional strains on the whole community. That being said, we will continue to work with AARCS through their Calgary shelter to help find loving families for the animals that come to us through our animal welfare investigations.”

Thompson adds, “We still want to help out … it very well could leave a hole for a while and we hope that some of the organizations in Edmonton will be able to help.”

When asked if Edmontonians will be able to see AARCS again in the city, Thompson says, “It’s really hard to know, we planned to work towards improving facilities here in Calgary and expanding our capacity here. If we get the support for that and you know the continued support throughout the years, there’s always that option for us to return to Edmonton.”

Thompson says, that from now until March 28, the shelter is open for adoption but no longer takes new animals. Any remaining animals in the facility will be transported to Calgary.