With over 600 municipalities in Ontario, by-laws pertaining to animals vary wildly - from comprehensive to virtually nonexistent. The Ontario SPCA has worked with many municipalities, including the City of Statford and Town of Orangeville, to help improve local by-laws and provide animals with better protection.
Currently, municipal by-laws are a key tool used by Ontario SPCA investigators to protect animals left vulnerable by deficiencies in the Ontario SPCA Act, the provincial legislation that gives Ontario SPCA investigators their policing powers. The Act fails to provide a general animal cruelty offence - making Ontario the only province to provide penalties ONLY to breeders of dogs and cats for sale.
While a number of municipalities have strengthened their animal cruelty by-laws - for example, in 2005 the Ontario SPCA worked with the City of Orillia to include a by-law making it unlawful to "torment, tease, abuse or injure any animal," attaching a $400 ticket or a maximum $5,000 fine - hundreds of municipalities with ineffective legislation remain.
As a result, the Ontario SPCA encourages community members to become familiar with their local by-laws, determine if they are adequate, and if not, lobby government to strengthen them on the animals' behalf.
Consider that a good anti-cruelty municipal by-law should:
- Apply to all animals and set minimum standards for their living conditions. This includes sanitary living conditions, protection from the elements, sufficient exercise and species-appropriate housing.
- Have large fines, including spot fines of $200 or more for pet owners caught leaving their pets unattended in a hot vehicle.
- Provide no exemptions.
- Apply to first-time offenders.
- Prohibit the keeping of animals such as exotic pets or wildlife. Most animal control by-laws also ban keeping livestock and the Town of Markham, for instance, stipulates that rabbits may be kept only as pets - not to produce fur or meat. The Town of Markham also prohibits the use of exotic animals in entertainment - including circuses, film productions or exhibitions - without inspection and approval of an authorized Humane Society Inspector or Agent within a week of the performance.
- Prohibit the slaughter of animals except in designated zones. This prevents untrained individuals from attempting to slaughter animals in a manner which causes unnecessary suffering. The City of Stratford bans people from using "any property, including a house, dwelling unit or any building or structure, or any part thereof, or any land abutting same, as a place for slaughtering animals, except in an area that is zoned properly in accordance with the City's Zoning By-law."
- Limit the number of pets allowed and encourage pet owners to sterilize their pets. The City of North Vancouver, for example, has by-laws making it mandatory for pet owners to sterilize their cats. Failure to comply can result in a fine of up to $2000. Many municipalities with animal control by-laws, including the City of Toronto, encourage sterilization by offering reduced licensing fees for sterilized animals.
Click on the links below for examples of municipalities with strong animal welfare legislation, lobbying tips and more.
City of Toronto | City of Stratford | Town of Markham | Town of Gravenhurst | City of North Vancouver | Lobbying Tips | How Municipal Government Works
