Report recommends moving Sudbury animal shelter to Minnow Lake

After taking over animal control services from the private sector more than 10 years ago, Greater Sudbury is considering establishing a new facility in Minnow Lake for about $3 million. (File)

After taking over animal control services from the private sector more than 10 years ago, Greater Sudbury is considering establishing a new facility in Minnow Lake for about $3 million.

The current animal shelter is located on leased land in Wahnapitae, about five kilometres from downtown Sudbury.

“The current lease is in an overholding, month-to-month arrangement, with the terms and conditions of the original lease continuing to be recognized by both parties,” said a staff report on the proposal headed to the finance committee May 19.

“Staff are responsible for the feeding, cleaning, health checks, and supervision of all animals. Animals are only permitted outdoors when staff are present and actively supervising, ensuring animal welfare, public safety, and consistent operational control.”

The city has long known that the current shelter, which operates seven days a week, wasn’t a long-term solution and that a permanent facility would have to be relocated.

A budget request to create a permanent site was made in 2019 for $1.55 million, but it was rejected. Costs have since increased substantially.

A search for a suitable, city-owned site has been ongoing since then, and a real estate firm was even retained to look for a property, without success.

More recently, other city-owned sites were considered and a property was located on Dube Road in the Moonlight Beach area.

Currently a storage building

The site includes a 3,000-square-foot storage building that is currently leased to a local non-profit. The city-owned property has an existing driveway, fencing, hydro and water and sewer connections.

It is 100 metres from private property on the west and is 150 metres from Dube Road.

The site is recommended because it moves operations much closer to the city and offers transportation and other long-term savings.

“Analysis of current animal control operations demonstrates that the undersized facility and remote location of the current animal shelter incur approximately $60,000 annually in lease payments with related expenses in terms of fuel consumption, travel time for veterinary services, and off-site animal boarding,” the report said.

“The remote location limits access for residents without private transportation, contributing to lower animal redemption rates, reduced adoption activity, and longer lengths of stay for animals. The location also restricts volunteer participation, student placements, and partnerships with veterinarians and community organizations.”

Reduce travel time

In 2025, the report said that bylaw control officers made more than 1,200 trips to and from the shelter, resulting in 1,883 hours dedicated only to animal transportation.

“This time commitment reduces available bylaw enforcement capacity for responding to other complaints and conducting enforcement activities,” the report said.

“Relocating the shelter to a centrally located, city-owned facility would substantially reduce travel time and allow these hours to be reallocated to frontline service delivery and improved response times.”

To accommodate the shelter, the storage building would be turned into a dog kennel, while an administration building would be erected next to it.

It would include officers for shelter staff, a cat kennel, pet adoption areas and pet exam and procedure rooms. The budget would be between $2.5 million and $3 million.

Read the full report here.