Hooray for strays: Edmonton Animal Care & Control wins 2011 Summit

Edmonton, (December 14, 2011) – Edmonton's Mayor recognized the City’s Animal Care & Control Centre staff in Council today for winning the 2011 Summit Award in Animal Sheltering.

Edmonton was recognized by the 2011 International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies on October 21st, 2011 in Montebello, Quebec. The Animal Sheltering Summit Award is a signature sponsorship by Petsmart Charities of Canada. Kit Jenkins, Petsmart Charities Program Manager was on hand from Phoenix Arizona to make the presentation.  Edmonton AC&C was recognized for extraordinary efforts to address the physical and psychological aspects of stray animal housing and care. The prestigious Summit for Animal Sheltering has been awarded only six times previously. In addition to presenting this award, PetSmart Charities contributes to healthier communities throughout North America with hundreds of programs and millions of dollars in grants.

Animal Care & Control Centre:

Animal Care and Control Centre staff reunite lost pets with owners, promote responsible pet ownership through public education, and resolve nearly 16,000 animal related complaints or episodes each year. They work closely with other organizations and consult with the community to improve policies, bylaws and animal services provided by the City of Edmonton.

The City’s new $13.2 million, 25,000 square foot Animal Care and Control Centre opened on November 1, 2010. The space brings staff and services together under one roof to improve both service delivery and animal well-being. The building meets Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) environmental standards. It was funded by the City of Edmonton ($4.5 million), the federal and provincial governments through the Canada-Alberta Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund ($2.8 million), and the Government of Alberta through the Municipal Sustainability Initiative ($6 million).

See Edmonton AC&C Centre photos 

Summits for Urban Animal Strategies and Summit Awards:

The Summits are an initiative of PetLynx Corporation and industry partners which brings together industry leaders in the areas of animal control and legislation, animal health and wellness, animal welfare, and animal services. Summit Award winners are determined from among the nominees in an academy style election that features confidential electronic voting by Summit alumni.  City of Edmonton staff have contributed strategies to Summit colleagues in times past, but this is the first time they have garnered the recognition of their peers in the form of a Summit Award.