City council has approved an amended agreement with the Moose Jaw Humane Society that will increase the city's annual funding to the organization by nearly $15,000, citing rising labour costs and a change in how the city supports animal control operations.
The new deal will see the city provide $267,909.05 annually, up from the previous $253,158.10. The increase covers a cost-of-living adjustment and a 5.92 per cent bump to offset wage pressures, particularly those related to the province’s minimum wage hikes since 2017.
“The increase isn’t just about inflation,” said Derek Blais, director of community services, during Monday’s meeting. “It’s a reflection of the cumulative impacts on staff wages, which have risen faster than the CPI index.”
The updated agreement also clarifies the City's provision of a fleet vehicle to the MJHF and it's coverage of the related insurance costs.
The contract will now be administered by the city's Community Services Department instead of Planning and Development. Blais said the department is better structured to support the work the Humane Society does with the public.
The Humane Society's 2023 audited financials show it ended the year with a surplus of more than $400,000. It holds over $1.4 million in investments and nearly $2.1 million in total assets.
Despite those figures, city administration said the requested increase was reasonable and not out of step with the pressures facing other municipal partners.
Blais noted that while CPI-linked increases have been applied annually since 2017, they have only accounted for about 25 per cent in added cost, while minimum wage increases alone represent nearly 37 per cent over the same period.
Coun. Chris Warren asked whether the Humane Society was willing to split the difference when it came to covering rising expenses. Blais confirmed they had.
“They’ve agreed to cover just over half of the shortfall themselves,” he said. “The city is covering the remaining 5.92 per cent, which this amendment reflects.”
The motion passed unanimously, with funding to be drawn from unallocated investment earnings in the 2025 budget.