Cape Breton SPCA evacuating due to concerns roof may collapse under weight of snow, ice

The Nova Scotia SPCA says its Cape Breton shelter is evacuating over concerns its roof may collapse following last weekend’s snowstorm.

A release from the SPCA says the Sydney shelter’s ceilings and beams are starting to bow underneath the weight of snow and ice.

There are currently 19 dogs in the shelter’s care as well as 25 cats and one rabbit.

“We currently have 45 animals in the shelter and staff taking care of them. We need to look out for their safety,” says Nova Scotia SPCA CEO Elizabeth Murphy in the release. “Our shelter is showing the signs of age and wear, we can not take this risk.”

Staff from the Dartmouth shelter, along with an animal transport vehicle and vans, will help with the evacuation.

The animals will be triaged and then taken to other shelters until it is safe for them to return to Cape Breton.

The SPCA has not had the structural integrity of the Cape Breton shelter assessed yet, and does not have a reopening date.

The cost to repair the roof is also not yet known.

People are being asked to not travel to the shelter, and the SPCA says the veterinary hospital will be re-booking clients “when it is safe to do so.”

The current Cape Breton SPCA building on East Broadway was built in 1977.