Overview

• The park, shut since 2024, says it no longer has the funds to care for the belugas still on site.
• A letter cited by Radio-Canada and the New York Times set an October 7 deadline tied to federal support and the export ban.
• Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson rejected covering the facility’s costs, writing that the government is not responsible for expenses stemming from the park’s lack of a viable plan.
• Officials previously blocked a transfer to China’s Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, citing concerns that the move would perpetuate captivity for entertainment and run afoul of Canada’s 2019 restrictions.
• Animal welfare advocates and local politicians condemned the threat as coercive, while a former trainer publicly dismissed the euthanasia warning as a bluff.