Montreal hears citizen concerns as it drafts new animal control bylaw

Montreal Mayor Valrie Plante's administration says its overhauled animal control bylaw aims to put more onus on owners, rather than singling out one specific breed.

It held the first of nine community consultations Saturday in La Fontaine Park, after promising in its campaign to repeal the controversial bylaw instated by former mayor Denis Coderre.

The bylaw infuriated dog owners across the city because of its anti-pit bull provisions, and required pit bull owners to request a permit in order to be able to keep their dogs.

In August, the city alleged several people had filled out the paperwork wrong and threatened to make them give up their pets.

The Plante administration, which revoked anti-pit bull clauses in the bylaw soon after taking power,has ruled out the breed-specific approach favoured by former mayor Denis Coderre.

"We will not target certain breeds," said city councillor for the Southwest borough Craig Sauv.

"It's inefficient, hard to apply and it's not the global standard right now."

Owner liability among citizen concerns

About 20 people at Saturday's consultation shared what they believe the new bylaw needs to include to strike the balance of animal welfare and people's safety.

Dog owner Anjali Choksi said she would like to see more owner liability, rather than targeting breeds.

"The whole issue of defining dogs as being dangerous or not based on their appearance is important to me. That we don't do that," Choksi said.

Some took issue with city inspectors. Benjamin Jackson owns a huskie, and said hedoesn't think the city needs to scrutinize every dog owner in Montreal.

"When there's a problem, there needto be inspections there," he said.

Sauv said he hopes the new bylaw is passed by June.

The city is considering prohibiting certain people from having animals because they have criminal backgrounds that show they abuse animals or are violent, he said.

Public consultations will continue until March 3. The city also encourages people to fill out an online survey.