The Village of Fort Simpson this week donated $10,000 to the NWT’s largest animal shelter, saying the community wanted to support the organization during the pandemic.
In a news release issued on Tuesday, the village said the NWT SPCA needed its help after struggling over the past few months to provide services as normal.
“With the past support that we have received from the NWT SPCA, the village wanted to assist in some manner,” read a statement from the village.
Many communities in the territory rely on assistance from the SPCA, both through the rehoming of hundreds of rescue dogs annually and the provision of a widely used spay-neuter program.
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On September 28, the SPCA said on Facebook it had lost at least $80,000 in revenue from the cancellation of fundraising events as a result of Covid-19.
“We are short-staffed, yes, we have no consistent, regular income, and our bank account is decreasing by the day,” the shelter said at the time.
“We do need help financially to keep operating of course, but we are OK for maybe another year if we continue on this path with event cancellations and decreased donations.
“We are looking for grants, but it is challenging.”
The village council challenged other northern communities to support the NWT SPCA in any way they can.
“We are hopeful that this funding can help in some small way, and we encourage other communities to consider ways they can help,” Tuesday’s statement concluded.
