‘She rallied a community.’ Nicole Spencer steps down from NWT SPCA

After years of leading the NWT’s main animal rescue service, Nicole Spencer is stepping down. Former board members, volunteers and staff say the NWT SPCA has been transformed under her leadership.

The Yellowknife-based NWT SPCA said last week Spencer is departing as executive director after nearly 20 years with the charity.

People who have worked alongside Spencer describe her as a driving force behind the organization’s growth – from establishing a permanent shelter in Yellowknife to expanding animal welfare programs, rescue networks and community partnerships across the Northwest Territories.

For many of the people we spoke with, Spencer’s most significant contribution was helping to turn the NWT SPCA from a largely volunteer-run organization without a permanent shelter to the organization it is today.

Karen Kuronen, a former board member and longtime foster volunteer, said Spencer had a vision for a permanent facility when the SPCA was still operating without a building. 

“Nicole really wanted and felt that the NWT SPCA needed a building in order to serve the many, many dogs in the territory,” Kuronen told Cabin Radio.

The board received a $300,000 grant through the Aviva Community Fund in 2010, helping launch fundraising efforts for a permanent facility in Yellowknife’s Engle Business District. The shelter opened its doors in October 2012.

Jan Vallillee, a longtime Yellowknife resident who has volunteered with the SPCA, told Cabin Radio Spencer’s determination to build the shelter was extraordinary.

“She rallied a community and made things happen,” Vallillee said.  

Randy Hilworth, a former board member who has remained involved with the organization, said the shelter remains Spencer’s biggest accomplishment.

“Having the shelter built. That’s the biggest thing,” he told Cabin Radio, pointing to the amount of time Spencer devoted to the organization. 

According to the NWT SPCA website, the shelter can house 32 dogs and 12 cats and employs up to 15 people. The SPCA says it has saved thousands of animals since opening. 

Expanding animal welfare across the North

Spencer’s work also helped expand the SPCA’s reach beyond Yellowknife.

The organization now helps transport an average of 700 dogs each year out of NWT communities. Some remain in the territory, while others are transferred to southern rescue organizations through the Northern Dog Transfer Network. 

Hilworth said Spencer’s extensive network of contacts has been crucial to that work, with relationships extending from NWT communities to southern rescue organizations across Canada.

The SPCA has also expanded preventative and community-based programs. In 2024, six animal wellness clinics provided 230 sterilizations, as well as medical checks, vaccinations and deworming, with animals coming from across the territory. 

Terence Reed, president of the NWT SPCA board, said in a written statement to Cabin Radio that Spencer was instrumental in building partnerships with rescue organizations, veterinary clinics, governments and community groups, while also advocating for responsible pet ownership, spay and neuter programs, and improved animal welfare standards.

A leader who showed up

For those who have worked directly with Spencer, her impact is not only measured in major projects. It is also found, they said, in everyday moments and relationships. 

Bo Seddon, who first became involved with the SPCA as a teenager and eventually moved into leadership roles, said Spencer was there throughout her development.

“She’s been there every step of the way,” Seddon told Cabin Radio. “She is part of the reason why I am here and who I am today.”

Seddon describes Spencer as a “strong, fierce worker” who could manage numerous logistical challenges while remaining dependable for staff and volunteers.  

“Anything that she put her mind to, she would get it done,” she said. 

Margo Thorne, a former board member, similarly described Spencer as compassionate and easygoing.

“She’s an amazing person. Never seen anyone with so much compassion towards animals,” Thorne said. “Very easygoing. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Nicole say no.”

That willingness to help extends beyond major responsibilities, Seddon said.

“When something unexpected would happen at the shelter – a dog needed to be picked up, whatever the case may be – she would always come and lend a helping hand, no matter how busy she was.”

Vallillee, who first met Spencer in the early 2000s after seeking help for a dog left outside in extremely cold weather, said her commitment was difficult to measure.

“She’s probably volunteered more than 100 people combined in this community,” Vallillee said, adding that Spencer was humble and never drew attention to the hours she put in.

Even before she became executive director, Kuronen said, Spencer had devoted countless hours to the SPCA as a volunteer.

“She made it her life for all these years,” she said.

Reed said that commitment helped Spencer cultivate community support though fundraising, donor engagement and public outreach, allowing the SPCA to continue providing shelter, medical care and adoption services.

A lasting legacy

Spencer’s departure will mean a major change for an organization that many people have come to associate with her personally.

“She is the face of the SPCA,” Hilworth said. “People know the SPCA through her and when they see her, they know it’s the SPCA.”

Reed said Spencer leaves behind a “stronger organization, a broader network of supporters and partners, and a lasting foundation for future animal welfare initiatives in the North.”

For Vallillee, her legacy is the thousands of animals and families affected by the organization’s work. She called Spencer “one of the most passionate human beings to befall Yellowknife.”

“Her dedication to making the lives of animals better is unmatched by anybody,” Vallillee said.

Pamela Taylor, a resident who has been involved with the NWT SPCA as both a foster and volunteer, said Spencer’s impact can be seen in the animals whose lives were changed through her work. 

“Her service has been absolutely amazing, and she basically got that shelter built,” Taylor said in a written statement.

“I think of all those innocent, trusting animals that lived happy lives because of her tireless commitment. It’s beautiful.”

Tirzah del Valle has been appointed as the NWT SPCA’s incoming executive director and will work alongside Spencer in the coming weeks as responsibilities are gradually handed over.

“She helped build a path forward for us to carry on what she’s done,” Seddon said.