A Richmond-based animal welfare charity says it is running out of money and is in danger of shutting down due to a legal battle over the name of a proposed animal hospital.
The Regional Animal Protection Society (RAPS) says it has been trying to secure approval for the name of a new animal hospital from the College of Veterinarians of British Columbia (CVBC) since July. RAPS says generally, the process of name approval takes just three to four weeks.
Now, RAPS CEO Eyal Lichtmann says the organization is losing money to legal fees and maintenance costs for the space that the CVBC won’t let it use.
He said it’s having huge implications on RAPS’ ability to care for its animals.
“Our staff are now creating an evacuation plan for the largest cat sanctuary in Canada. There are approximately 500 cats there. Our organization provides medical care for between 2,000-3,000 animals annually,” said Lichtmann.
Click below to take a virtual tour through the RAPS cat sanctuary
“And that’s why we were opening the hospital, to take care of our animals.”
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In July, RAPS submitted three potential names for approval to CVBC and the B.C. Registry. It says the B.C. Registry approved all three options, but stated the CVBC had to approve any use of the words “animal hospital.”
The CVBC initially refused their application for a host of reasons, including that “RAPS” was too similar a name to “SPCA,” which the CVBC said could prove confusing to the public, according to a RAPS news release.
Lichtmann said two months after all initial concerns raised by the CVBC were cleared, there was another surprise.
The CVBC took issue with the use of the word “regional” in the name of the hospital, saying it could create the impression that the hospital was the official animal facility in the area, he said.
The college acknowledges clarity is at the heart of its issues with the name.
“So to avoid confusion, we want to avoid the name ‘regional’ being a part of the title of the hospital,” said CVBC CEO and registrar Luisa Hlus.
“But of course we have no issue with RAPS running a hospital.”
Lichtmann said that more than 100 other B.C. corporations have the word “regional” in their names. He also says the CVBC has previously approved the names of organizations such as “B.C. SPCA” and “B.C. Animal Hospital.”
The CVBC decided in October it would allow RAPS to use the name “RAPS Animal Hospital” on the condition that the word “regional” would not appear in any signage, billings, invoices, records, or correspondences.
But RAPS legally changed its name from Richmond Animal Protection Society to Regional Animal Protection Society in June, meaning it is required by federal regulations to use the word “regional” in all its official correspondences.
WATCH: Squire visits the Richmond cat sanctuary
The organization says every month of delay is costing it about $50,000 in overhead.
For its part, the CVBC says it hopes to resolve the issue soon.
“I did not realize anything about this contractual problem, until I today read the letter dated Dec. 25,” said Hlus.
“I am optimistic that we can find a resolution in January.”
That can’t come soon eough for Lichtmann, who fears the delays could put the animals they care for at risk.
“You’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars of wasted money trying to open up a hospital that we’ve invested a million dollars in.”
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