The New Brunswick SPCA said Wednesday it has laid off its executive director as part of necessary cost-cutting measures.
In a news release, New Brunswick SPCA president Steven Turner said the decision to part ways with Hilary Howes was made because it “will have the least effect on the work we’re doing across the province.”
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“It’s a step we hate to take, but beginning with our administrative staff allows us to minimize the impact on our animal protection officers in the field,” Turner said.
Turner said the SPCA is facing a deficit but denied that it was due to the government withdrawing funding. The province provided a $40,000 transitional grant to the organization in 2015 to help pay for enforcement of a new law banning 24-hour tethering of dogs, but Howes said Monday the grant was not renewed for 2016.
After the province passed the law in December 2014, the SPCA spent more than $80,000 investigating 321 tethering complaints in 2015.
Turner said the government has always “warmly supported” the organization and its mandate.
The SPCA says its funds come from donations, fundraising and delivering animal control services across the province. It says there are about 20 animal protection officers in the province and most work part-time.
With files from Shelley Steeves, Global News