A new city council report raises concerns regarding responses to animal cruelty complaints in Saskatoon, after the Ministry of Agriculture appointed Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan (APSS) to enforce Saskatoon animal cruelty violations as of July 1st (see Issue 19, Enforcement Updates). The appointment of the non-profit agency resulted from the Saskatoon Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) withdrawing from animal protection services after a denial of a funding request by the provincial government (see Issue 8, Spotlights, Enforcement Updates). According to the city council report, since the SPCA halted its services, there has been an increase in the number of calls to the police to respond to animal cruelty and welfare complaints. This is because APSS only operates Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm CST, meaning that no one is available to respond to animal cruelty complaints after hours or on weekends. Police stated that while they will always investigate animal cruelty cases, they do not have the equipment, training, or shelter agreements in place to respond and enforce the Animal Protection Act. Saskatchewan has doubled funding towards the APSS to $1.6 million in the 2022-2023 budget. However, according to the city council report, there are currently no plans to offer after-hours or weekend service. Read more here and here.