City decides not to renew APARC contract

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on May 10, 2025.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

The City of Medicine Hat has announced it will not be renewing its contract with the Alberta Pound And Rescue Centre for pound services, and will be assembling a request for proposal for potential third-party operators.

It has been confirmed that the city will operate the Animal Pound Services facility on an interim basis once the contract expires June 7.

APARC was first awarded a contract to operate the facility in 2016 and a new contract was awarded through an RFP process in 2022 for a three-year period, the city says. While it had the option to renew for additional two years, APARC has been notified that the agreement will not be extended.

“I want to thank APARC for their service and dedication to our community in operating the Animal Pound Services facility since 2016. We appreciate the efforts of APARC staff to care for the animals in the facility and for their work on reuniting animals with owners,” said James Will, director of parks and recreation for the City of Medicine Hat. “During this transition time, I want to thank the community, other animal welfare organizations and animal health-care organizations for their patience as we move into a transition period for operations of the facility.”

The city will assume operations of the facility, effective June 8, and an RFP will be posted in the coming weeks.

Residents are warned they may see temporary adjustments to operating hours as the team works to establish interim operations. More information will be shared as the transition plan progresses.

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