Thunder Bay, ON — Provincial animal welfare organizations are coming together to aid pets displaced amid wildfire evacuations across northwestern Ontario.
Northern Reach Networkhas received hundreds of messages requesting support in its efforts to help communities in and around Thunder Bay, including remote communities being evacuated. Paul Bishop, a board member with the non-profit, declared the network was currently “flooded” with pets. “As the wildfires are continuing to threaten the communities across the region, thousands of families have been forced to evacuate their homes with little to no notice at all,” Bishop shared, noting that the network is supporting people and animals affected by the crisis on the frontlines.
While many evacuees are struggling to find safe temporary new homes for their pets, they have also been displaced, he explained, so the network is stepping in to reach out to communities and get to as many people as possible to help alleviate some of the stress owners face. Pets that, Bishop added, cannot be brought into the hotels or the public evacuation centres where they may be staying. The network is looking for short-term fosters while families are allowed to return to their communities, he clarified. “All we’re asking is that you supply the love and the home for the pet and we’ll supply the rest,” Bishop stated.
“The pets are going to be arriving at a central transfer point in Barrie, [Ont.] Four members of our GTHS team will be there to help receive them safely and the GTHS is preparing to welcome 10 of those pets into our care,” indicated Kristin Holmes,the GTHS’s director of growth and communications.
As wildfires rage, Waterloo region is welcoming an influx of pets evacuated from northern Ontario If people aren’t able to foster, which they understood, Bishop remarked, there are other ways people could currently use some assistance, including donating or volunteering to transport food and supplies to hotels or animals if they have time. “We’re going to see a huge uprise in our cost and we’re totally non-profit. So food, donations [or] anything like that will help us tremendously [in] helping those who are in desperate need of assistance right now,” Bishop indicated. Bishop thanked all the first responders, the communities rallying together and everyone who had already stepped up to help. The Georgian Triangle Humane Society (GTHS) — a not-for-profit charity based in Collingwood, Ont., assisting the South Georgian Bayregion and beyond — has joined these efforts. The charity is helping lead a coordinated transfer involving 18 rescue organizations in southern Ontario, the Northern Reach Network and the Bark Bus to transport 101 pets — 71 dogs and 30 cats — south, as of last Friday. “The pets are going to be arriving at a central transfer point in Barrie, [Ont.] Four members of our GTHS team will be there to help receive them safely and the GTHS is preparing to welcome 10 of those pets into our care,” indicated Kristin Holmes,the GTHS’s director of growth and communications. Holmes explained that the charity will work to ensure these pets are safely disembarked and transferred into the care of organizations committed to receiving them. From there, she advised, they will travel to shelters or foster homes across southern Ontario. “So as they work to create urgent situation pet care space for pets and families that are affected by the wildfires currently happening in northern Ontario, we are committed to helping them provide that space by bringing pets that have already been surrendered and that have already been in their care down to southern Ontario so that we can help them find new loving homes.” Last year in 2025, Holmes declared the charity welcomed 220 pets through transfers, which was a 44 per cent growth over the previous year. "The main take away in what we’ve learned is just how major coordination and citizens support are,” Holmes shared. “So in situations like this, there isn’t any single organization that can do everything, but when transportation partners and shelters and foster families and donors work together, we really can create meaningful capacity very quickly.” Still, she confirmed the charity’s greatest current need is capacity, noting that people can help by becomingfoster volunteers, adopting pets who are already ready for homes or even donating to support transportation, food, supplies and veterinary care. “Every pet who moves into a foster home or who is adopted helps create space for another pet who needs help. The north needs our help, but for us to be able to provide that help, we need our the region beside us,” Holmes indicated. The animal welfare organizations will provide all supplies and support that foster volunteers may need. Nicky Shaw is a reporter for CBC Thunder Bay. She graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism and a minor in Environmental and Climate Humanities from Carleton University. Aligning with her passion for covering global environmental and humanitarian issues, she has worked to develop in-depth multimedia content that shares the diverse experiences of people in Northwestern Ontario. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered onCBC Gem..
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📍 Source: CBC News Thunder Bay · By: CBC News Staff · 🗓️ July 23, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
