Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre calls for report on health of caleche horses
CBC News | Posted: July 16, 2015 6:06 PM | Last Updated: July 16, 2015
Photographs of a distressed horse in Old Montreal this week renewed calls for caleche ban
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre has asked for a "complete veterinary report" examining the health of the city's caleche horses.
- Caleche horse in apparent distress spurs call to ban practice
- Group rallies against 'cruel' horse-drawn caleches
- Horse on the loose in Griffintown
Coderre announced the move this afternoon on Twitter, two days after the photographs of a distressed caleche horse slipping on a metal plate on the road revived a campaign to see a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Montreal.
On Tuesday, Montrealer Tara Schulz was on her way home when she spotted the horse near the corner of Peel and Notre-Dame West streets on Tuesday around 5:50 p.m.
It was being led back to the stables along the designated route established by the city when it slipped on a metal plate placed on the road during construction, she said.
"The horse was exhausted and very distraught. It was a very disturbing scene," said Schulz.
When she got home, she decided to post to the Facebook group Anti-caleche defense coalition.
The coalition urged people to write complaints to Mayor Denis Coderre, asking that he ban the use of caleches in the city.
Caleche owners have argued the blame lies with the city, saying the designated route to the main stables in Griffintown is completely overrun with construction.