The ongoing labour shortage has forced the Town of Swan River to temporarily suspend its stray animal program.
According to Derek Poole, chief administrative officer of the Town of Swan River, the program was mainly about giving traps to residents with stray animals around their properties and offering to help them catch the animals with the help of a by-law officer. Once it has been caught, the animal would then be transported to the local vet board building and they would be housed there until they're adopted.
Since they don't have enough staff to be able to look after the animals on evenings and weekends, the Town had no choice but to suspend it.
"A person can buy their own traps and deal with that animal... it's just [that] the Town is not providing those services right now," Poole said.
He also said that the Town will be meeting with the Swan Valley Vet Clinic and the Animal Protection League to discuss the matter in the coming weeks.
The program will remain suspended until an agreement on how captured animals will be cared for on evenings and weekends has been reached.
