In Ontario, there is no specific law to standardize municipal animal services. Ontario should make it a goal for every region and municipality to have animal and veterinary services. Each place should have a municipal animal services who can give first aid to all animals, wild or domestic.
Not all cities have 24/7 municipal animal services. Toronto has no animal service between 1am and 5am. Please consider municipal Animal Services as an essential, 24/7 service.
Animal fostering, rescuing, and adoption needs to be part of every shelter. Every animal Services should have a free spay/neuter/TNR program for feral cats. Every animal Services should have free or low cost spay/neuter and vaccine programs for companion animals.
Update the Pound Act to focus on education, rescue, foster, and adoption of all animals. Currently, the Pound Act only covers farm animals.
The practice of lending, giving or selling shelter animals to labs under the Animals in Research Act (pound seizure) needs to be banned.
Currently, all pit bull type dogs are banned in Ontario. All breed specific legislation (Dog Owners Liability Act, Animals in Research Act) needs to be repealed, and replaced with breed neutral legislation focused on animal welfare, incident prevention, and rehabilitation of dogs who do bite.
Mandatory euthanasia of dogs who attack farm animals under the Protection of Livestock and Poultry Act RSO 1990 cL.24 (8) needs to be repealed and replaced with mandatory Humane training for both dog and guardian. Add a Humane, non lethal coexistence program for farmers.
Changes should also be made to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act to rehabilitate, rather than kill, dogs who go after wildlife.
Every municipality should have a contracted partnership with local Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centres, and farm sanctuaries . Please add all Ontario Association of farm sanctuaries members, all licensed wildlife rehabilitation centres, Coyote Watch Canada, National Wildlife Centre/Caledon East Veterinary Service, and Bear With Us to the closest 24/7 animal services city contract. All municipal shelters and wildlife centres should be exempt from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act's 24 hour holding restriction, and a permanent exemption from the 1km/15km release restriction.
The Police Services, Paramedic Services, and Fire Services do not have the training or expertise to handle animal situations. Animal Services needs to remain open for field response 24/7. All instances in which police injure or kill an animal, even by accident, should be fully investigated by a third party. Each municipality should have a 24/7, rapid response humane mobile vet program for companion animals, livestock, large animals, dangerous animals, and wildlife, to prevent police or hunters shooting injured, sick, nuisance, or dangerous animals. All municipal shelters and wildlife centres should be given chemical capture and transportation permits for all large animals, wild or domestic.
