Oakville is set to have a new national dog training facility, with a recent $1.3 million investment from the federal government.
On Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, Minister Anita Anand announced the funding at the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides’ training facility near Kerr and Rebecca Streets.
The funding will be used to improve accessibility by expanding the facility’s capacity to train guide dogs for Canadians with disabilities Anand said, with plans to also build accessible parking, an accessible EV charging station and traction elevators.
"More purpose-bred dogs will get the training required to assist persons with disabilities," said Minister Anand, who spoke on behalf of Minister Kamal Khera, the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion, and Persons with Disabilities.
"That's important for Oakville, that sustains our community, and that's important for our country as a whole."
The Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides has been training guide dogs for over 40 years, offering seven specialized programs for individuals with various disabilities, including children, seniors, veterans, and first responders.
Programs address needs ranging from vision and hearing assistance to seizure response. Since its founding, the organization has matched more than 3,000 guide dog teams.
However, demand continues to outpace capacity. The foundation currently operates from a building constructed in the 1930s, and CEO Bev Crandell says it is increasingly difficult to adapt the space for modern accessibility needs. The organization also faces a two-year wait list for guide dogs.
"This grant will help us better meet the needs of our current and future guide dog clients, our volunteers, our staff, and our dogs," Crandell said.
Construction of the new facility is already underway. Once completed, it will allow the foundation to train more dogs and reduce wait times for clients.
Bev Berger, a long-time client of the foundation who recently partnered with her seventh guide dog, Ross, spoke about the impact of having a guide dog.
"It works. It really, really works," Berger said, mentioning how guide dogs have given her, a person with a disability a purpose. "[Guide dogs] are not just pets. It's a very reciprocal relationship that we have with our dogs," Berger said. "They do for us, we do for them."
The newly announced investment comes from the Enabling Accessibility Fund. It specifically falls under the mid-size project component, where the federal government can provide up to $3 million in funding per project that provide more accessibility and services for people with disabilities.