Last Chance Cat Ranch didn’t deserve to be skewered at policy committee meeting

By Letter to the Editor on May 29, 2021.

Editor: I watched with complete disgust the lynch mob called the Community Safety Standing Policy Committee made up of councillors Hyggen, Mauro, Parker, Campbell and a guest appearance by Carlson. I watched their meeting this week as they completely skewered one of our beloved animal rescues, The Last Chance Cat Ranch.
A property owner brought forth personal issues littered with false information in a bid to get the rescue removed or shut down. His claims of over 100 cats living in the house is completely false (they have about one-third of that between the main house and retrofitted garage). The bylaw officer strongly refuted his claims of deplorable and uninhabitable conditions, and he also stated animal welfare had been through and all cats were being cared for in direct opposition to what the neighbour claimed. The neighbour went on to call the rescue a spectacle, the founder “mental”, and the LCCR Facebook site where they do their fundraising, awareness, showcase adoptions, bake sales, etc. “nothing more than a pity story.”
Yet these council members bent over backwards to placate him and brainstormed ideas about bylaws, health code violations, zoning issues, etc. that might help him oust the rescue. They agreed to extra summer meetings and loopholes to rush this to present at the next city council meeting. No one felt the need to include The Cat Ranch in any of these consultations or verify any of the false information the property owner had provided.
Now consider this – the Last Chance Cat Ranch has been at that location for years – long before the neighbour moved in in 2016. The only thing that seems to have changed since then is they added some enclosed outdoor “catio” space in their backyard.
The Last Chance Cat Ranch has been a godsend to this community. They have done nothing but improve our city by taking unwanted cats off the street, from owners who have abandoned them, and pets of elderly people who have passed.
They receive vet care, nourishment, shelter and then are transitioned to foster homes or put up for adoption. The unpaid volunteers work tirelessly to make all this happen and there is a legion of supporters behind them.
The founder, Elizabeth Ginn, dedicated her life and her savings to doing what is decent and noble for this community. She has since stepped back from her incredibly stressful role to fight her own battles with terminal cancer.
She should have received accolades and awards from this community for her dedication and instead you have this pack of hyenas – I mean councillors – pouncing at the chance to shut down her life’s work. You should be utterly ashamed of yourselves and I am completely embarrassed of my city and especially those involved with this completely biased debacle.
Virginia Kuz
Lethbridge