Greater Sudbury is moving ahead with its overhaul of animal control services, issuing an RFP seeking bids from groups interested in taking over pound and shelter services for stray animals.
The city is also taking responsibility for handling animal complaints from the public, adding three full-time staff to its existing bylaw enforcement personnel to handle the increased workload.
The changes are an effort to create competition in bidding for the animal control contract, which has been held by the Rainbow District Animal Control in Azilda for several years. Owner Richard Paquette said in a February letter to Sudbury.com that the changes won't improve service, but will increase costs.
“The plan is still projected to cost the taxpayer $135,000 a year more than under the current service model, which provides three more FTEs, for six full-time dedicated permanent animal control positions, and a minimum of four trucks available for work in the City of Greater Sudbury and dedicated to animal control duties,” Paquette said.
But Ward 12 Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, at a February city council meeting, said the current model needed to change.
“Our residents have indicated by their surveys that they want change, we have an opportunity here to also include other programs – better neutering and spaying – we have to deal with these problems, these are ongoing,” Landry-Altmann said.
“If we're going to make a change in feral cats, if we're going to make a change in the multiplication of cats we have to change, the numbers have not changed, if we look at the services that we contracted out 10 years ago, the numbers haven't changed and we haven't made a dent in it, we need to look at another way of doing things.”
The city is inviting bids for the revised contract from groups that meet provincial requirements for property and facilities to properly handle and care for animals and who meet the requirements of the municipal RFP available at www.greatersudbury.ca/tenders
“Greater Sudbury council has adopted a model for municipal pound and shelter services that ensures the well-being of animals and encourages responsible pet ownership,” city clerk Caroline Hallsworth is quoted as saying in a news release.
“Our objective is to reunite dogs and cats with their owners whenever possible and to promote adoption or fostering of animals by building strong partnerships with the successful service provider and a well established and active animal welfare and rescue community.”
Municipal pound and shelter services must be “low kill,” meaning every reasonable effort must be taken to reunite dogs and cats with their owners or to foster and adopt animals, the release said.
Service providers will be paid by the city for each animal in their care during the three-day redemption period, not including the day the animal was admitted and statutory holidays. After three days, dogs and cats may be fostered or adopted.
Service providers will continue to retain all fees for adoption following the three-day holding period, providing further incentive to reduce the length of stay of each animal in the shelter.
Proposals will be accepted for service to the entire city or for service to smaller zones to give providers of all sizes an opportunity to bid on the contract. Under the RFP process, the selection of a service provider is based on an evaluation against set criteria, rather than price alone.
Enforcement of the bylaw will become the sole responsibility of the city as of Nov. 1.
Programs for the humane management of cats and dogs will be introduced later this fall and winter, the release said, including a pilot program to trap-neuter-and-release feral cats and further promotion of a low-cost spay and neuter program to help citizens with limited financial resources.
Interested groups have until June 17 at 1:30 p.m. to submit a bid. For more information, contact the city's purchasing division at 705-674-4455, ext. 2497.
