“We feel that our strategic direction is no longer what the membership wants,” said acting board chair Wanda Bailey, a board member for seven years.

The new board was to be installed via conference call and will remain in place until a new one is elected at the annual general meeting in May or June.

Board members have been under mounting criticism from some SPCA members who are claiming a lack of transparency regarding a number of decisions, including the move to merge with the The Equestrian Association for the Disabled (TEAD) and the new veterinary clinic built at the Dartnall Road shelter.

Last week, 61 of the SPCA’s 110 members signed a requisition calling for the board to resign. A special meeting to discuss the TEAD merger and other issues is slated for March 15.

It’s expected the new board will be comprised of members who signed the requisition.

“We are very concerned that the amalgamation was presented to the membership for a vote without any feasibility study, without any business plan, without any numbers of what it’s going to cost,” said long-time SPCA member Sandra Leja, who was among the members calling for the board to resign.

She said the SPCA has paid out over $100,000 to TEAD employees since the merger was approved at an August 2008 membership meeting.

The merger has yet to be finalized.

“Personally, I don’t see the synergy between prevention of cruelty to animals and a charity for the disabled,” Leja said.

Veterinarian Michael Mogavero said the members have been asking for documentation to support the board decisions for several months.

“There’s really no evidence that money that was spent … on anything that was ever approved by the board because there’s no documentation,” Mogavero said.

SPCA member Margaret Strecker said she was concerned about the stress being put on the shelter animals from all the so-called Hurricane Katrina dogs from Louisiana were brought to Hamilton over the past two years.

“I’m concerned that (the shelter animals) are not living in a condition that makes them ultimately the best they can be for adoption,” said Strecker.

“It really is a pet store and not a very good pet store at that.”

Bailey said she still believes in the merger with TEAD, adding the membership was given a presentation outlining the reasons for the amalgamation at the 2008 meeting.

“Why now they’ve changed their minds, I don’t know,” she said. “I find it disheartening.”

She replied “unequivocally yes” when asked if the SPCA was operated in a transparent fashion.

Bailey admitted communication between the board and the membership could have been better.

According to the minutes of the Aug. 20, 2008, special general meeting provided to the Mountain News, then board chair Ken Leendertse gave an overview of how the TEAD merger came about and a summary of the process was given to each member in advance.

SPCA members then voted 15-6 in favour of the merger.

The minutes show Leendertse had 31 proxy votes which made the final count 46-6 in favour of the merger.

Meanwhile Keith Scott, who recently took over as chief executive officer of the SPCA, said he would not comment on the board changes, saying only that it’s business as usual at the shelter and that he will support any direction the new board wishes to go.

Scott said he supports the membership‘s call for a forensic audit of the organization’s finances, but noted the cost could be upwards of $15,000.

“Are they prepared to cover the cost?” he said.

Scott, who has an accounting background and is a former chief financial officer of the Calgary Zoo, said he has reviewed the SPCA’s finances and found nothing that concerns him.

“The SPCA is in a very strong financial position,” he said.

Scott said any money paid to the two or three full-time or about six part-time TEAD officials on the SPCA payroll will be paid back by TEAD.