Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre wants stricter rules for calche industry

The health and safety of calche horses is the main focus of a proposed City of Montreal bylaw to govern the controversial industry.

The new rules, presented at an executive committee meeting this morning, includeprovisions about the treatment and well-being of the horses, but also targetdrivers, subjecting them to training.

They come a year after Mayor Denis Coderre tried and failed to have the horse-drawn carriages banned from thestreets of Old Montreal for one year, following several high-profile incidents that appeared to show the animals getting hurt.

9-hour work days, 10-minute breaks

If passed, the regulations will require that horses:

• Will have to be examined twice a year by a veterinarian, who will have to attest that the animal is in good health.
• Won't be harnessed more than nine hours a day, including the travel time between the stable and Old Montreal.
• Will get obligatory 10-minute breaks after every ride.
• Won't be on the road when the temperature reaches 28 C.
• Are microchipped, which will allow them to be tracked as they work.

Calche drivers will have to undergo training on customer service, the tourism industry and all the rules related to their jobs.

They will also have to comply witha dress code and to get a permit from the SAAQ. It was not specified what kind of permit.

Fines for breaking the rules will be increased, though it's unclear by how much.

The new rules were presented to the executive committee during a meeting Wednesday. The bylawwill be tabled at city council next week andwill go to a vote for adoption atthe next council meeting in August.

At Wednesday'smeeting, Coderre said horses are part of Montreal's heritage and that the calche industry is an asset.

"Ithink it is a tremendous springboard to go further,to learn from the history of the horses their contribution into our lives and the heritage attached to it. They are part of the DNA of the city," Coderre said.

He added that last year's moratorium was meant to come up with new rules to oversee the industry, which the city has now done.

Drivers take issue with temperature, uniform rules

DriverAndrSt-Amant,acalchedriver for 43 years,said he knew the bylaw was coming but was taken by surpriseby the 28 C temperature rule.

The horses used to have to be taken off the road when the temperature reached 30 C.St-Amantsaid he is worried about losing more days of work.

"It's so bad for us because when it rains I don't work, when it's too cold I don't work, if you have too much activity down in Old Montreal, you have to finish early," he said.

Dominique Pelletier, who's been a calche driver for 15 years, saidthere is no need to lower the temperature limit by two degrees.

"The horses don't work in extreme heat already, so that's just cutting down the time we're allowed to work in the summer in nice weather, which is not very favourable to usor the industry or the horses becausehorses are very comfortable working in weather up to 30 degrees and even above 30 degrees."

She saidthat besides the new temperature rule,the bylaw isn't proposing anything new.

"We already do get vet checks twice a year, mandatory, and also we get surprise vet checks on the stands. When the inspector comes, they come accompanied by a veterinarian," Pelletier said.

Dan Leclair, another driver,takes issue with the uniform. He said he likes to dress up in 19th-centurygarb while he works to match the "spirit" and architecture of Old Montreal.

"With the uniform they want us to wear, we'll look like we're [in the]military," he said.

He also thinks 10 minutes between rides is a lot to ask, since they sometimes sitaround for hours, waiting for clients.

'Nothing new'

Last December, the industry received $500,000from the city in order to improve services forcalcheoperators and regulate the safety of the horses.

"What I want to know is where the $500,000 went that Denis Coderre allocated to this issue," said Anne Streeter, a board member of the Animal Alliance of Canada.

She said except for the temperature rule, Montreal's proposed bylaw doesn't offer anything new.

"The horses will still suffer from respiratory problems from the pollution, leg problems from pounding the pavement, the filthy barns. There will always be accidents they're a regular occurrence.... They should simply not be in an urban environment."

String of highly publicizedincidents

Coderreled the public charge last year on getting the carriages banned from Old Montreal for one year,aftera horse was hit by a carin Griffintown and an image of a horsewho appeared to stumble on a metal platemade the rounds on social media.

Just weeks ago, two incidents involving calche horses in Quebec City led to new calls to shut down the industryin that city.

But the Montreal drivers protested against the one-yearmoratorium, eventually taking their case to court.

The Quebec Superior Court slapped an injunction on the proposed moratorium. Coderredecided not to challenge that ruling,and carriages were allowed to operate as usual last summer.

• Quebec Citycalcheaccidents renew calls for carriage ban
• $500K in extra cash for Montreal's controversial calches