Our Donors, Supporters, and Friends

1990s – 2020s
Innovation and Outreach

By the 1990s, it was clear that the Parkdale shelter could no longer meet the needs of a growing city—or the aspirations of a modern animal welfare organization. With strong community leadership, including the high-profile support of football star Bernie Faloney, the HBSPCA launched an ambitious fundraising campaign and purchased land on Dartnall Road. In 1996, a new state-of-the-art facility opened there, widely regarded as one of the best in North America and officially inaugurated by Governor-General Roméo LeBlanc. This marked a turning point for the Society, introducing higher standards of care, new technologies such as routine microchipping of adopted pets, and expanded capacity to serve both animals and the community.

Through the 2000s and 2010s, the HBSPCA continued to evolve beyond the traditional shelter model. After the City of Hamilton assumed animal control services in 2003, the organization placed greater emphasis on volunteer-led care, humane education, and community outreach—rapidly growing its volunteer base and deepening public engagement. During this period, the SPCA launched innovative programs including a Companion Animal Hospital, low-cost spay/neuter services, expanded support for community cats, and the Wiggle Wagon mobile shelter, the first of its kind in Ontario. Milestones such as the 125th anniversary in 2012 and partnerships with local institutions like McMaster University reflected the SPCA’s expanding role as both a service provider and a leader in animal welfare thought and practice.

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 prompted yet another transformation, as the HBSPCA adapted with appointment-based adoptions, virtual interviews, and tele-medicine support for fosters and clients while maintaining emergency services. In the years that followed, the organization leaned further into community-centered care, expanding Pet Wellness Clinics and launching the Pet Pantry program—now the largest pet food bank in Canada—so families could keep beloved animals at home during financial hardship. Although the cherished Wiggle Waggle Walkathon concluded in 2022 after more than three decades, its spirit of joyful community support lives on in new initiatives and partnerships. Today, building on more than 135 years of advocacy, compassion, and innovation, the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA continues to protect animals through adoption, veterinary care, humane education, and outreach that meets people—and their pets—where they are.