Ottawa Humane Society Welcomes new Ontario Animal Protection Legislation

October 29, 2019 — The Ottawa Humane Society (OHS) welcomes today’s announcement from the Government of Ontario ensuring the protection and safety of animals in Ontario.

“The Ministry briefed us on the bill’s contents, but we haven’t yet seen the text. What we have heard so far, has been very positive. If it passes, this legislation will be a big step forward for animals in Ontario,” said OHS president and CEO Bruce Roney.

Among the legislation’s important steps forward are:

• Increased penalties. A significant increase and the highest penalties across Canada.
• Addition of psychological distress in all animals, recognizing that all animals can experience mental distress in addition to physical distress.
• Vehicle distress – pets in hot vehicles. New legislation allows for any first responder and in some cases a by-law officer who is first on-site to save an animal in a hot vehicle.
• Warrantless entry into a private dwelling. The new act enables any officer to enter a dwelling without a warrant if there is critical distress present. This is a new category added in the legislation.

The announcement is the first step in establishing a long-term solution for protecting animals in Ontario in the wake of the Ontario SPCA suddenly relinquishing its enforcement duties.

Roney stresses there is still work to be done; “The devil is in the details. A lot of how this legislation will work is in the regulations, which are not yet written. We also want to see whether enough resources will be devoted to enforcement. If the work isn’t funded, then the best of legislation won’t protect animals.” He added, “We will be watching and working with government to ensure that no animal falls between the cracks.”

Government has asked the OHS to continue to house animals that are removed from situations of abuse and neglect.

The OHS and its sister humane societies and SPCAs provided well over a 100 years of animal protection enforcement in Ontario, and for most of those years, received no funding to do so. Roney added, “It’s time that this work that so many people care deeply about becomes publicly funded.”

Media Contact
Ottawa Humane Society
Will Wuehr, Manager: Communications
613-725-3166 ext: 261 or willw@ottawahumane.ca
www.ottawahumane.ca