KENORA — A newly-launched not-for-profit in Kenora will help with the cost of veterinary care for people who are having trouble affording it.
The Leo Project was named after Celine Ward’s beloved pet dog Leo who died in July 2024. Ward, who is the executive director and founder of the Leo Project as well as a veterinarian, said the rising costs of living are impacting people’s abilities to afford proper care for their animals.
“We believe that the health of the community can really be viewed by the health of its pets,” she said. “If we know that a community has healthy animals, that could be a mirror into the health of the community as a whole.”
“We also believe that the benefits of the human-animal bond shouldn't just be dictated by those who can, quote-unquote, afford it,” Ward continued. “We think that the benefits of pet ownership can extend into social determinants of health and can really help communities as a whole and individuals as a whole with their own health.”
“And we want to be able to support that.”
Planning for the Leo Project dates back a couple of years, she said, as they worked to establish their not-for-profit status (Ward said they’re still going through the process of becoming a registered charity) and solicited donations to build up a fund so they were ready to go when they officially launched.
The foundation has partnered with the Kenora Veterinary Clinic and works with a number of social service providers like the Kenora Association for Community Living. Clients of these various services can be referred to the Leo Project through their caseworker or organization. Other applicants will be considered on a case-by-case basis, Ward said.
“A lot of that is determined by how urgent is the (needed) care, and what is the need of the pet owner,” she said. “So, for example, are they on income assistance of any kind … there's a few factors.”
Subsidized services can include things like spaying and neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, deworming, as well as emergency vet care. They will also travel to communities outside of Kenora — Ward said they’re already planning to go to Naotkamegwanning (Whitefish Bay First Nation) for a clinic in September.
“Our goal is to keep pets with their families,” she said.
A recent deputation to Kenora city council listed four main areas the foundation is focusing on: providing medical and surgical care, expanding preventative care, fostering community outreach and education, and collaborating on support services and referrals.
The foundation will cover a “baseline” of 70 per cent of a vet bill at the Kenora Veterinary Clinic — or any clinics they’re able to partner with in the future — Ward said, but applicants could receive more if the need is there. Right now, while they work to get their charity status, which she said “we anticipate that will open up a lot more doors for grant funding,” they’re relying largely on donations and selling merchandise through their website.
Right now, funding applications are mostly open to people in the Kenora area, but “we will consider the Northwestern Ontario region as a whole,” Ward said.
As for the foundation’s namesake, she said it’s a nice way to pay tribute.
“We played around with a lot of different names,” she said. “And then the Leo Project just really felt like the right name for this.”
“He was a really good dog and I think he would be very happy that he is able to help a lot of animals in his name.”
