PetLand Charities of Canada presented the City of Calgary with a cheque for more than $7,500 for the restoration of the Sue Higgins Park which was (and still is) affected by the Calgary Floods.
In store fundraisers, donations and volunteer clean-ups have contributed to the park's clean up. Parts of the park are still closed and a planned Improvement Project was delayed after the floods last June.
Sue Higgins Park is a 62-hectare greenspace in Calgary's southeast that offers pathways, hiking trails, a large off-leash area and much more. The mission of the Improvement Project is to enhance the park's natural environment and provide quality and compatible recreational activities by addressing the interests of the key park user groups, including off-leash, regional pathway users and nature enthusiasts.
This project complies with the City's goals of integrating recreational areas with pet-friendly areas, an initiative presented to Urban Animal subscribers at the Prairie Regional Conference and the Summit for Urban Animal Strategies.
Six finalists vie for the Urban Animal Industry's highest award in the category of Community Collaboration:
- Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) + Pound Rescue for their joint activities to promote spay and neuter.
- Calgary Greenway + Calgary Parks Foundation + Calgary Humane Society (CHS) for their joint activities to create a pet friendly recreational trails system.
- Dr. Krista Foreman + Safe for Pets Program for a collaboration that spans Veterinarians, Police Services, Social Workers and other provincial agencies to home pets for those experiencing domestic violence.
- Michelle Lem + Community Veterinary Outreach for a collaboration that serves the Urban Animals of those who are homeless, marginally homed or at risk for homelessness.
- Toronto Feral Cat TNR Coalition for activities to bring together 10 disparate groups to open and operate the first known feral cat facility for surgical recovery and education.
- Nova Scotia Department of Justice + Nova Scotia SPCA
- (Working on our Future - WOOF) for a ground breaking program that pairs inmates, dogs and correctional officers to deliver benefits for all.
The 2013 Summit for Community Collaboration recognizes programs, codes of conduct or best practices delivered to create a healthier environment for urban animals.
The 2013 Summit for Community Collaboration will be presented during the Awards Gala on Friday, 18 October 2013. This event is open to the public.
On Wednesday, 17 April, the Canada wide 2013 Regional Conference tour will launch. Members from all levels and sectors of the Urban Animal Industry will gather together in Toronto, Halifax, Calgary and Vancouver for the 7th annual edition of these regional events.
The 2013 Regional Conferences are a strategic component of the Urban Animal Program in North America. They feature the Pet Experience Workshops led by Dr. Jason Coe and a strong cast of local presenters showcasing innovative projects that can be replicated to move communities forward across North America:
- Atlantic Canada will showcase a unique partnership between the Nova Scotia SPCA and the Nova Scotia Department of Justice that prepares both dogs and offenders to achieve the socialization and skills they need to be successful in the community; The Atlantic Veterinary College and Cat Action Team from PEI will show how they have successfully spayed and neutered 8,000 feral and barn cats; The Fredericton SPCA will show the ‘TINY’ weight-loss challenge project which received international attention; Tuxedo Stan is sending his campaign team in to show how he raised the plight of cats by running for Mayor of Halifax and; a presentation by those involved in Wind Energy will show how energy and funding can be more sustainable.
- Central Canada will showcase the experiences of Canada’s largest urban municipality and how they are guiding the development of future services for pets and people; The first place winner of the Nichol Pitch Competition from the Management Economics and Finance faculty at the University of Guelph, will present WooF, a new plan for exploiting ‘socialapplication’ for pet owners in Canada and beyond and; Ontario SPCA demonstrates how fixyourpet.ca has delivered.
- Prairie Canada will showcase Green Calgary’s study of the Canine Carbon Footprint; Edmonton Humane will bring its renowned blog discussion of the future and affordability of pets in our communities; a post mortem presentation on the City of Vernon's decision not to ban the sale of puppies in retail outlets; Red Deer Petland and Alberta Animal Services have formed a unique partnership to promote adoption and fundraising and; urban planning for pets and people.
- Pacific Canada will showcase the 2012 Let's Talk About Cats program launched by BC SPCA and Katie's Place in the community of Maple Ridge; Coquitlam will show how their program to repurpose infrastructure has achieved unusual results in their community; MLA Jane Thornthwaite introduced Mandatory Care standards for BC Breeders.
