Wellington North council has decided to move forward with the decision for canine control, without other municipalities of Wellington County.
On March 22, councillors decided in a 3-1 vote (Lisa Hern opposed and Steve McCabe was absent) to award a canine control service bid to R&R Pet Paradise in Harriston at a cost of $23,000 for 2016.
This comes after a bid from Guelph Humane Society for canine control services was submitted to Wellington North in January at a cost of $35,000.
The bid was a joint proposal for Wellington North, Centre Wellington, Mapleton and Guelph-Eramosa, valid only if all municipalities participate in the contract. Mapleton has already opted out.
Councillors discussed the joint contract at a meeting on Feb. 8, raising concerns with the bid, including biosecurity, price and distance. Councillors decided they needed more information.
Two new bids were discussed on March 22: the one from R&R and another from Cheryl Roberts that would cover canine control only, not cats or wildlife.
Clerk Karren Wallace said of over 120 municipalities she inquired with, Wellington North is the only municipality currently providing wildlife control but it will end with this contract.
“I recognize that this will be a very, very big shift for our rate payers but it is just not something that any municipality (offers),” she said.
Wallace there are other avenues for the public to choose when dealing with wildlife.
Hern said she was pleasantly surprised with the bid, but asked if the township even needs the service.
“I’d hate to see someone lose a dog because we didn’t have a service and ideally we need to collect more fees to pay for that service,” said Mayor Andy Lennox.
