Great Slave Animal Hospital in Yellowknife abruptly closes
Vet clinic had warned Thursday it would close no later than March 31
Great Slave Animal Hospital in Yellowknife abruptly closed its doors Friday.
Staff at the veterinary clinic told CBC News on Friday morning they had to be out of the building by noon. They could be seen loading material into vehicles at the clinic as the lunch hour approached.
The animal hospital was founded and run by veterinarian Tom Pisz. He died on June 11.
The sudden closure comes a day after the veterinary clinic sent out a notice to media that it would be closing no later than March 31. Less than an hour later, it tried to rescind the email, saying an update was coming soon.
As of early Friday afternoon, no update had been provided.
"Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer able to give our patients the care they need and deserve in the current location," the Thursday notice said.
Cabin Radio has reported that the location issue comes after months of deteriorating relationships between staff and Pisz's partner, Pat Dartnell, who is the executor of his estate. Dartnell told Cabin the clinic's closure was not what she had wanted.
Dartnell told CBC News the building's locks would be changed by Monday. A folder taped to the clinic's door Friday afternoon said "Closed For Ever."
On Thursday, the clinic said one of its vets, Katie Denroche, planned to stay in Yellowknife and "more information about the future of her practice will be available soon."
Friday afternoon, Denroche's team appeared to create a new Facebook page for Aurora Veterinary Hospital YK. The first post on the page, made around 1:30 p.m. Friday, asked people to message them if needed.
"Rest assured, we are not going anywhere," the post read. "There are a lot of really positive things coming."