Nicholas Weeda, BC SPCA's new community services coordinator for Vernon, is introduced to city council (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

SPCA Services

New SPCA member filling gaps in Vernon after animal centre closure

Apr 23, 2024 | 12:00 PM

Vernon is without a Community Animal Centre, but pet owners do still have the ability to seek assistance from the BC SPCA thanks to a new local member.

Nicholas Weeda joined the organization as Vernon’s community services coordinator in February 2024.

Weeda was introduced to Vernon council at its meeting Monday, April 22, where he said his new role was created to ensure gaps left by the closure of the animal centre in November 2023 were filled.

“The role of the community services coordinator is to maintain and ensure the successful delivery of BC SPCA programs and services in the Vernon area,” Weeda explained.

“They include our pet food bank program, animal transfers, volunteer coordination, veterinarian partnerships, as well as relationship building in the community, working with outreach organizations and some local businesses.”

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Weeda told council he is in charge of facilitating and coordinating animal transfers from Vernon to the community animal centres in Kelowna and Salmon Arm, which is a key service, especially when dealing with people surrendering their pets.

“We have already dealt with some surrenders. If a caller is in Vernon and calls wanting to surrender, if there’s space in one of the animal care centres, similar to if there was a boarder here and there was space available, I will facilitate the transfer of that animal,” Weeda explained.

“For instance, the last one that I did, I went and picked up their animal and brought it to the care centre in Shuswap where it was officially taken in.”

During the period between the SPCA centre in Vernon closing and the hiring of Weeda, pet surrenders had to either be done by the owner, or by Animal Protection Services if they were available to do so and not responding to other calls for service, or by volunteers who were willing to make those trips and transport the animals.

Weeda added he works with the BC SPCA’s provincial emergency coordinator to support animals in the community during emergency situations, provides emergency boarding services, and is training so he could administer vaccinations in the near future.

Weeda noted the best way to access services is to call the Animal Help Line at 1-855-622-7722.

Speaking with Vernon Matters following Monday’s meeting, Mayor Victor Cumming said it’s really important to have these services available locally.

“[The Regional District of North Okanagan] operates the dog control service, that continues to function, but other issues really need to go straight to the SPCA,”

“You phone their line, they’ll connect you. We now have a person here who can manage that call if its a lost animal or a found animal or something, we now have a system to manage that.”

The mayor added having these services available locally are important, especially for residents who don’t have a vehicle or can’t drive to Kelowna or Salmon Arm.