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Vet clinic to be without a home in Banff

“I understand the situation we’re in and we need to address it, but I want to look at possibilities to try to save this… Realistically, the best way to do that is the creation of a new facility of some sort.”
Banff Town Hall 2
Banff Town Hall

BANFF – A building deemed unsafe for human occupation is to be decommissioned, leaving the Banff Veterinary Services clinic without a home in the community.

A building condition assessment determined the Town of Banff’s animal control building in the industrial compound  – which houses the municipality’s animal control services and the vet clinic – is in “overall poor condition” and “unfit for regular occupation.”

Based on an administrative recommendation, town council decided to spend the $228,000 needed to decommission the building, which is known to have asbestos and lead paint, rather than shell out several thousands more to repair it.

“It really concerns me that these services could be lost in the community,” said Councillor Grant Canning.

“I understand the situation we’re in and we need to address it, but I want to look at possibilities to try to save this… Realistically, the best way to do that is the creation of a new facility of some sort.”

The Town of Banff has a tentative agreement in the interim with a local pet boarding service for any lost or stray animals, but there is no home for the Banff Veterinary Services, which has been in operation under the current ownership of Canmore Veterinary Hospital for 27 years.

As part of a mutually beneficial arrangement with the Town of Banff, the clinic has provided veterinary services, medications, pet food and pet care items to the Banff community as well as provided veterinary care to stray animals handled by the Town’s municipal enforcement department.

Veterinarians Sylvia McAllister and Karen MacMillan said they are willing to continue offering veterinary services in Banff if an alternate location can be provided.

“If the building is decommissioned or alternative space is not made available, we will not be able to continue offering this service in Banff. Instead, we would make ourselves available to Banff residents at our location in Canmore,” they wrote in a letter to Banff town council.

“It is possible that some house call services could be coordinated if demand were there, but the degree of service to residents would change without the regular current on-site presence.”

The veterinary service is offered one day a week out of the Hawk Avenue building in Banff, but the plan was to get back to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic schedule of two days per week.

McAllister and MacMillan said the decision to maintain services in Banff over the years has been possible because of the space provided by the Town of Banff.

“From an operational perspective, it is not financially viable for us to lease space elsewhere in town to provide these services once or twice weekly when we operate a fully equipped veterinary hospital in Canmore,” they wrote.

The alternative to decommissioning the building was to fix it, but that came with significant costs. The removal of hazardous waste from the building is evaluated at a cost of $163,000 and the 2023-2025 projected repair costs are estimated at $541,461 for a total budget of $704,461.

“We could repair and get it up to code to limp it along a little longer, but I don’t think it would be a great investment of funds to be completely honest,” said Town Manager Kelly Gibson.

Council has directed administration to return to a future meeting with options for a new animal control centre. Administration also has been tasked with talking to Banff Veterinary Services about construction of and tenancy in a new facility.

Mayor Corrie DiManno said the decision to decommission the building was difficult, but there really was no choice.

“We know that this is a service that residents use and we use it ourselves as an organization,” she said.

“It’s not the best use of funds to try and put on a Band-Aid on that when we need to be looking at a more long-term solution on an animal control building that could house veterinary services.”

Councillors Hugh Pettigrew, Ted Christensen and Barb Pelham preferred the building be slated for decommissioning in 2024 to ease the burden on taxpayers for the 2023 budget, but wanted people out right away.

“I think it’s time to empty that building to minimize risk, but if we could actually delay the capital spend on deconstructing, I think I would be in favour of that,” said Pelham.

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