Last Chance Cat Ranch doesn’t deserve the way it’s being treated

By Lethbridge Herald on March 12, 2022.

Editor:

Our city has been beset with very serious issues like escalating crime, an opioid epidemic, homelessness, lack of healthcare, and serious financial strains. 

Yet somehow members of our city council and the City of Lethbridge have decided to wield untold man hours and our city’s resources to satisfy the complaints of one single resident against his neighbour. 

That neighbour is the Last Chance Cat Ranch which takes injured, abandoned, and homeless cats off our streets, get them vet care, and finds them new homes.

Our city has now made the shameful, horrendous decision to issue the LCCR a stop order and cripple them with severe restrictions. 

Incredulously, after 18 years at the same location, the city has suddenly deemed that they are violating the land use bylaws. 

They have one year to vacate their own premises. Infinity worse, they have been slammed with severe restrictions which make it nearly impossible for them to operate and raise funds for another location. 

They are restricted to using only two volunteers per day when they need at minimum six, food may only be delivered once every seven days, they may not advertise or refer to the premises on their social media or website and they must not emit any odours. 

They are under threat of a $10,000 fine if they break any of these conditions. By restricting care and food, the city is literally endangering the lives of already vulnerable animals and punishing the volunteers and supporters who have worked so hard to improve our community.

 For almost two decades the LCCR has taken pressure off the animal shelter and financed what the city should have. 

Last spring the Community Safety Standing Committee of then councillors Hyggen, Parker, Mauro, Campbell, and Carlson invited a neighbour with multiple complaints about the LCCR to present his case to them. The LCCR was not informed of or invited to respond to the many personal issues lodged by the resident. 

The committee brought in heads of regulatory services, bylaw offices, the City manager, and community services all to weigh in and help find avenues to assist the neighbour. 

They discussed cat bylaws, rezoning, land use bylaws, unsightly premises orders, AHS investigations, and ultimately found at the time there was nothing to go after them for. 

The meeting is on public record and can be viewed here. https://youtu.be/ggKi9MU84xM

There will be an appeal of these measures on March 31. I believe our mayor, city council, and city officials have made an egregious error on how they have handled this entire situation.

 Both parties should have been included in a mediation to find a solution.

 Private citizens with an axe to grind should not be able to have city councillors take these type of drastic measures on their behalf. 

The city has known about the LCCR for many, many years and not required them to apply for rezoning in the past. 

Why are they not being grandfathered? I encourage the city to find a more positive solution for both parties and our community. 

If a fair and equitable inquiry finds that the LCCR would be more suitable relocated they should be given every assistance, physically and financially, by the city to do so.

Virginia Kuz

Lethbridge