Old Montreal bans carriage rides for at least a year
Several incidents involving horses in recent months
MONTREAL • Monday is the last day horse-drawn carriages will be permitted in the streets of Old Montreal, at least until next year, says Mayor Denis Coderre.
Coderre announced on Wednesday a one-year moratorium on the carriages, known in French as calèches.
“I’m not at all satisfied with the way things have been going with horsedrawn carriages,” Coderre said in a web broadcast of the city’s weekly executive committee meeting. “The best option is to start from scratch.”
There have been several incidents involving the horses in recent months. Most recently, a horse collided with a car in Griffintown last month, damaging the vehicle.
The city ordered a study on the industry last year, but opposition Projet Montréal has called for the city to go further, saying there needs to be a public debate.
On Wednesday, Coderre said the 24 horses authorized to operate in Montreal will take a year off while the city further examines the issue, saying the health of the horses is paramount.
He said there is a possibility horses will return to the streets of Old Montreal next year, adding that they are a part of Montreal’s identity.
“We are going to take the time to ensure we have a real policy about horses in Montreal,” he said. “We have to protect them and ensure they are being treated properly.”
He said he would like the carriages to be a source of pride for Montrealers, rather than an irritant.
Coderre said those who shelled out up to $550 for permits to operate the horses will be reimbursed.
Reacting to the news on Wednesday, Luc Desparois, the owner of Lucky Luc Calèches, called Coderre’s decision heartless.
“They’re killing us,” he said. “They’re putting at least 50 people out of work.”
He said he employs about 25 people, including drivers and office workers.
In addition to transporting tourists, the company has contracts with hotels and is hired for weddings and special events.
Desparois has about 25 horses in his Griffintown stable, and 20 of them belong to his company. The others are boarded there.
“The problem is that about 90 per cent of all the rides are done in Old Montreal,” he said.
Desparois dismissed complaints about mistreatment of horses, saying they come from jealous competitors.
“The horses are welltreated and they’re checked and checked and checked by vets,” he said.
“A carriage horse is a happy horse because he has the company of a driver, too.”
THEY’RE PUTTING AT LEAST 50 PEOPLE OUT OF WORK.