Grande Prairie SPCA confirms sale 2 years after closing over mounting debt

The sale of the Grande Prairie SPCA could spell the end ofa two-year struggle by animal rescue groups inhousing strays and unwantedpetsin the region.

The SPCA shut its doors in May 2016 over mounting debt, as it owedon its mortgage,theCanada Revenue Agency and25 other agencies.

SPCApresident James KostukconfirmedMonday his organization has soldits debts and assets, but did not name the buyer.

"We're now free and clear financially within the community," Kostuk said. "This new organization, when they're prepared, are going to be reopening the shelter and starting fresh."

The new owner paid$48,500 to the CRA, as well as nearly $200,000 owed to organizations and businessesincluding animal clinics.

The SPCAwill dissolve, Kostuk said, which it has been trying to do since shutteringtwo years ago.

"It was decided that the best course of action in order to openthe door for others to come into the community was we needed to dissolve," he said.

'We definitely need help'

When the SPCA closed, the Edmonton Humane Society stepped in to support the regional animal care facility, whichis run by the city and county of Grande Prairieto temporarily house strayanimals and lost pets.

Animals not claimed at the facility are taken to Edmonton for adoption.

Local volunteergroups such as Bandaged Paws Animal Rescue also helped pick up the slack.

"When they closed down, we did have an influx of animals right away," said Natasha Arsenault,Bandaged Paws president."We had more requests than we could help with a lot of the time."

The number of animals adopted annually through Bandaged Paws nearly doubled the year after the SPCA closed, from 240 to 435.

Bandaged Paws does not have a storefront location and instead relies on a network of more than 30 volunteer foster homes.

The sale is welcome news at the beginning of kitten and puppy season, Arsenault said. The number of litters born this spring is already outstripping last year's record, she added.

"We definitely need help in this area with animals," Arsenault said.

"If they could get the doors open in the next fewmonths, we would be ecstatic about that."

Information about the organization that bought the Grande Prairie SPCAis expected to be madepublic within two to three weeks.