Humane Society boss updates $21M facility’s progress at fundraising event

The Humane Society London and Middlesex is eyeing an early 2025 move-in date at its new facility, a $21-million build that is on budget and on schedule.

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Construction crews are busy outfitting the interior of the Humane Society’s Old Oak Animal Campus at 1414 Dundas St., just east of the Dundas and Highbury Avenue intersection.

“We’re in the interior finishing stage. We’re in the process of laying all the flooring. All the drywall is done. Grading, curbs and sidewalks are all in progress,” said Wendy Arnott, interim executive director of the Humane Society London and Middlesex.

“It’s just finishing touches right now.”

The facility, a 3,400-square-meter (37,000-square-feet) building on 4.4 hectares, is triple the size of the Humane Society’s existing shelter on Clarke Road. The Humane Society broke ground on the new facility, on a property that was once a lawn bowling club, in May 2022.

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The move-in will likely take place in stages early in the new year, Arnott said Sunday. Some services may be shifted to appointment-only during the transition, she said.

The new building has a veterinary clinic, animal shelter and pet adoption spaces, room for the Humane Society’s animal welfare program and an education center.

The Humane Society is close to its capital campaign goal and grateful for the community for stepping up, Arnott said. As of May 2024, the organization was within $500,000 of its $10-million fundraising target.

“The community has been incredibly generous. It’s been a collective effort from corporate and private donors and government,” Arnott said. “We’re quite fortunate to be so supported.”

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Progress on the new building comes as the Humane Society held its annual Walk and Bark in the Park at Springbank Park on Sunday, one of its biggest fundraising events of the year.

Though the work on the new building is nearing completion, behind-the-scenes work is just beginning, Arnott said.

“What’s next for us is strategic planning and how we operationalize on this beautiful building and the capacity that it’s created, asking ourselves how this changes our programs, services and how we show up for our community,” Arnott said, adding economic pressures, such as inflation, are changing what the public is asking of the organization.

“We need to get clear on what is next.”

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