No sanctuary here: Animal rescue operation faces threat of closure after permit denied
No sanctuary here: Animal rescue operation faces threat of closure after permit denied
A Wheatland County sanctuary that cares for abandoned and surrendered farm animals faces an uncertain future after having a permit application to keep operating denied.
"It is very disheartening. It's very discouraging," said Jeannette Madill, Alice Sanctuary founder.
"That's actually quite destructive. And it's something that I think will determine what it feels like, living out here."
A recent string of complaints about parking and traffic caused by volunteers and the occasional tour group sparked the need for a business permit application.
Madill was originally told by the county to apply for a rezoning, but was later advised by county officials to simply apply for a home-based business (type 3) permit.
She requested the permit, asking for 14 summer tours and two events annually over a two-year period.
On March 14, the county's development board denied the application, and added a clause preventing her from having volunteers on site as well.
"It was very discouraging to see that, you know, we do things in such an incredible, caring way, you know, providing that type of care for our residents out here and the farmland, the infrastructure … all of that is being taken care of," Madill said.
"To say to us that we no longer can do that, (that) nobody's allowed to be out here to help us do that, to maintain the site, that's actually quite destructive."
Scott Klassen is the area councillor, and sits on the development board. He would not consent to an interview but did send CTV the written decision of the board, which reads:
Your application for a Home Based business Type 3 (HBB 3) for a Sanctuary for the Care of Rescued, Surrendered, Injured and Abandoned Farm Animals was REFUSED by the Municipal Planning Commission on March 14, 2023 for the following reasons:
The operation does not fall into the category of a business.
The Sanctuary has been operating for many years without approval of the Development Authority and was continuing to grow.
The development permit application had been made due to complaints received and it is likely there will be more issues if the permit is approved.
The increase in traffic to the site has a negative impact on adjacent landowners.
Tours and volunteers visiting the site adversely affect the neighbors.
Tour groups and volunteers are not compatible with adjacent land uses.
The sanctuary's plight has drawn some high-profile support.
Singer and animal-rights advocate Jann Arden is a friend of Madill, and has volunteered at the sanctuary.
"I love animals and have made many visits out to the Alice Sanctuary and taken people out there just to hang out with the residents and spend some very fun afternoons with the animals," Arden said.
"It's an absolute shame that they haven't granted all of us at the sanctuary the two years to show the community that we are going to do things and continue to do things in a way that makes everybody happy."
Calgary chef Julie van Rosendal was at the sanctuary Monday.
Van Rosendal has volunteered at Alice Sanctuary in the past.
She is disappointed the county chose to deny Madill's permit without seeking any public input.
"Two-thirds of the animals here come from farmers. She and her volunteers will drive for hours to go pick up animals who are in distress, who are, you know, a lot of them are missing limbs, and at no cost to the farmers. She works with the SPCA, the Humane Society in Calgary, the Siksika Humane Society," van Rosendal said.
"It would be a huge loss to the community and to the province to have it not be able to operate the way it has been."
Alice Sanctuary cares for approximately 200 animals ranging from horses, pigs, cattle and sheep to chickens and ducks.
It has been operating at its present location in Wheatland county for close to seven years.
Madill vows to fight the permit denial through the county's development appeal board.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has confidence in David Johnston, even as the House of Commons is about to vote in favour of a motion to push him out of his job.
Canada will soon require health warnings to be printed directly on individual cigarettes, making it the first country to implement this kind of measure aimed at reducing tobacco usage.
The Canadian economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year and likely expanded again in April, fuelling speculation that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates again.
A former staffer who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault has defected to Moscow and spoken to Russian state media in a news conference that lasted several hours.
Wildfires in Nova Scotia have burned thousands of hectares across the province, forcing many to flee their homes. Halifax-area residents tell CTV News what it was like for them when they had to evacuate.
As text-generative artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT change the tide of web surfing, one Toronto blogger warns of a “seismic shift” in search engine optimization.
The Edmonton Oilers made their first trade of the offseason Wednesday, picking up 20-year-old prospect centreman Jayden Grubbe from the New York Rangers.
Frontline health-care workers at Surrey Memorial Hospital say the emergency room should be shut down to new patients if staff shortages continue to create "perilous" conditions for people in need of urgent care.
Wildfires in Nova Scotia have burned thousands of hectares across the province, forcing many to flee their homes. Halifax-area residents tell CTV News what it was like for them when they had to evacuate.
A "critical" shortage of teachers in B.C. is leading to increased workloads, mounting stress and an inability to meet students' needs, according to a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by the union.
The northern Vancouver Island village of Sayward remains on edge Wednesday as a wildfire continues to burn out of control just five kilometres west of the community.
The B.C. government is warning drivers of changes – some permanent – to the Patricia Bay Highway (Highway 17) in Saanichton as work begins on the new Keating Cross Road overpass.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Brad Treliving to be the team's new general manager. The team made the announcement Wednesday, less than two weeks after firing Kyle Dubas.
Last year, Quebec’s Bill 96 became law, which brought sweeping changes to the Charter of the French language. Sections of the new law will come into effect on June 1, the one-year anniversary of the bill receiving royal assent.
High heat is pushing into parts of Quebec this week, and many communities could see record-breaking temperatures this week. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued special weather statements, advising people of the above-average temperatures.
A new team working out of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada (SHC-Canada) wants to get young people like Horn, who injured themselves, back on their feet and running as fast and efficiently as possible.
Canadian Heritage unveiled the programming for July 1 celebrations, inviting Canadians to come to the capital region to "join the biggest party in the country!"
People who live on Ralgreen Crescent in Kitchener say it could have been a lot worse after a car careened off the road and smashed through their backyards on Tuesday afternoon.
A Toronto woman says she was shamed for the size of her order at a sushi restaurant north of the city in a scathing review posted to social media that’s been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
Forest fires in northern Ontario are on the rise, with the largest in the region shutting down a critical highway for the people of Hornepayne for a bit and bringing the community to the brink of evacuation.
Manitoba RCMP have arrested a priest from a First Nation community who is accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl, and believe there may be more victims.
