Winnipeg committee recommends ending ban on 'bully breed' dogs

City hall is one step closer to getting rid of breed-specific dog bans in Winnipeg. 

Councillors on the city's protection and parks committee approved changes to the responsible pet ownership bylaw Monday that represent a shift toward regulating bad owners instead of outlawing certain types of dogs. 

Under the amendment, which was proposed by the city's animal services department, an 'at risk' category would be created for pets whose owners have a history of issues with their animals. 

The city does have categories to flag dangerous and exceptionally dangerous pets, but this new category is supposed to be a preventative measure, according to a report from city staff.

Anyone who has a pet flagged as "at risk" wouldn't be allowed to let their dog go to doggy daycare or be in an off-leash area.

The report also recommended strengthening the "dangerous dog" category by making training and harness use mandatory, removing the ability to appeal that label once it's been handed down and by giving the city the power to seize, rehome or euthanize any dog whose owner doesn't follow the rules of that category.

Earlier in the day, the Winnipeg Humane Society made their case for the changes. 

"All animals have the potential to be dangerous — large and small — and many animals mimic the behaviour of their owner," said Jessica Miller, CEO of the Winnipeg Humane Society.

The change is also being celebrated by Animal Justice, a national animal advocacy group.

"Winnipeg is regulating the wrong end of the leash," said Kaitlyn Mitchell, an Ontario lawyer living in Winnipeg who works with the group.

She told the committee she hopes the city can avoid arbitrary laws, and supports the move to target owners rather than certain dog breeds.

Councillors passed the amendments unanimously, but also asked that city staff to work with community-based organizations to create an online resource to provide information to residents about training.

"We want to make sure that members of the public are trained and have the knowledge of how to deal with their pets and how to welcome them into their homes," said Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River).

Disease concerns around chicken farms

Many delegates on Monday wanted councillors to fly the coop on the idea of urban chicken farms due to several outbreaks of Avian flu in Canada.

"It would be ill-advised for council to support such a proposal since the outbreak was declared just a few months ago," said Brittany Semeniuk, who focuses on animal welfare with the Winnipeg Humane Society.

The possible two-year pilot program would test out how urban chicken coops operate at 20 sites. Given the uptick in outbreaks in other provinces, and the difficulty of containing such a disease even in regulated poultry farms, Semeniuk urged councillors to reconsider.

Semeniuk also had concerns that Winnipeggers may irresponsibly discard chickens once they no longer can produce eggs. She's also concerned there's a limited amount of veterinarians who can treat chickens within or near Winnipeg.

Councillors ultimately voted to have city staff report back to the committee with more information on how the program will work before it's implemented. 

Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) opposed the motion, saying she was concerned about possible disease outbreaks, and whether animal services had the capacity to carry out the pilot. 

Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) suggested the committee scrap the motion that would allow city staff another year of work to consider changing which exotic animals are and aren't allowed in Winnipeg. That passed, but Rollins was opposed. This means city staff won't have to look into the exotic animals list at all. 

The bylaw recommendations will move up to the city's executive policy committee on April 20. City council will make the final call April 28.

Concerns around urban chicken farms

3 years ago

Duration 2:47

Many delegates presenting their cases at Winnipeg's City Hall wanted councillors to fly the coop on the idea of urban chicken farms due to several outbreaks of Avian flu in Canada.