Montreal is centralizing animal shelter services with $158-million deal

A new centralized animal shelter set to open in Montreal by 2026, the city announced Wednesday.

Montreal has awarded a 10-year, $157.9-million contract to Proanima, a non-profit organization that has vowed to serve all 19 boroughs — offering uniformed, harmonized service across the city.

Included in the budget is the purchase and development of a building in the east end of the island, the city said in a news release.

In addition to opening that facility in 2026, the city says it aims to open a second in the western sector of the city.

Once the first shelter is operational, Proanima will care for stray, abandoned or surrendered animals. It will provide veterinary attention such as sterilization, vaccination and microchipping, and it will reunite lost animals with their owners.

The organization will also offer an adoption system and manage dangerous dogs, explained Maja Vodanovic, the municipal official responsible for the project, in the news release.

"Anything relating to the animals, we'll be providing some services," said Vincent Paradis, director of clinical care at Proanima.

SPCA to switch gears 

Proanima was launched in 2012, and currently covers 13 cities and municipalities largely on Montreal's South Shore. It has locations in Boucherville and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

Currently, the SPCA provides refuge for abandoned animals in most Montreal boroughs.

When Proanima takes over in 2026, the SPCA can return to its original mission of protecting and defending animals, said Vodanovic. Offering a shelter service goes beyond the mission and responsibility of the SPCA, she said.

Proanima will continue to work with the SPCA, which will provide "complementary services," she said.

Those complementary services include palliative care or specialized surgeries.

"We will focus even more on inspections, education, animal advocacy and care for the most vulnerable and needy cases," said Laurence Massé, SPCA Montreal's executive director.

Nearly half of Montreal households have a pet, according to the city.

But the increase in the number of animals is accompanied by a surge of animals being abandoned. There was a 64 per cent increase in shelter admissions between 2021 and 2022, Vodanovic said.

The shortage of affordable housing that accepts animals remains the main reason why people abandon their pets, according to the SPCA of Montreal.

"Animal management is not a small responsibility, as the number of pets is increasing," said Vodanovic.

Proanima will work with the city, just like the SPCA, to raise awareness and reduce the number of animals being abandoned, she said.

Development efforts long in the making

This project has been in development for more than a decade, with political promises never coming to life.

For example, the city first promised a centralized shelter in 2011. Then it was again proposed in 2018 for $23 million. Now the cost has shot up to seven times that with this 10-year contract.

As it stands, each borough is responsible for abandoned animals. Most boroughs pay SPCA Montreal to do the job. Over a decade, it has cost the city about $2 million per year.

Now, the organization and city are moving away from that model, centralizing the public service. And this is a good thing, said Massé.

"What the city gave us did not achieve what we needed in order to really take care of these animals," she said.

Vodanovic said the goal is for the city to take responsibility across the boroughs.

"Imagine each borough having its own shelter," she said. "We said it's much better to centralize it."

When the new facility opens, the SPCA says it will still take in nearly 30 per cent of abandoned animals on the west side of the island. Until then, it will be business as usual.