Quebec to consider pit bull regulations
Measures ‘a question of public safety,’ says minister Coiteux
The grisly discovery of a Montreal woman, purportedly mauled to death by a pit bull, provoked Quebec officials Thursday to call for strict animal control regulations for dangerous dogs, and specifically pit bulls.
Earlier in Quebec, provincial Municipal Affairs Minister Martin Coiteux, said the province is not responsibility for animal control legislation.
“It’s up to municipalities to decide what measures should be taken,” Coiteux said. Ontario’s ban on pit bulls, enacted in 2005, merits reflection but as it stands now, municipalities have the capacity to regulate dangerous dogs, he said. Residents seeking changes to local bylaws should contact their cities, he said.
But by mid-afternoon, Coiteux confirmed a provincial working committee will be formed in the next few days with a mandate to study regulations on dangerous dogs in light of recent attacks.
“We’re going to be at work on it in the coming weeks,” he said of the committee with members of the Union des municipalités du Québec, Fédération québécoise des municipalités and the ministry of agriculture. “It’s a question of public safety.”
But UMQ head Bernard Sévigny said in a statement that the committee will be looking at banning pit bulls. The committee will examine legislation in other provinces and evaluate best practices for the control of pit bulls.
It’s not yet known whether Christiane Vadnais, 55, of Pointeaux-Trembles was actually killed in an attack by a neighbour’s pit bull in her backyard. Another neighbour, Farid Benzenati, came home Wednesday afternoon and saw a dog that appeared to be a pit bull, attacking the woman’s lifeless body. An autopsy is to determine the cause of death. A police officer shot and killed the dog because it was behaving aggressively, standing over the body so paramedics couldn’t approach.
It’s not clear what led to the attack, SPCA spokesperson Anita Kapuscinska told the Montreal Gazette. The organization called for legislation to improve dog ownership rather than targeting a particular breed. “Banning a breed is not the answer, it creates a false sense of security,” she said. “Despite a province-wide ban in Ontario, there were more bites then ever” mostly from German shepherds and Labrador retrievers.
The organization called for legislation to promote education of dog owners, with bylaws addressing sterilization, licensing and accountability.
Any dog in the wrong environment can become aggressive, whether it’s a Rottweiler, shepherd, pit-bull-type dog or even a poodle, Kapuscinska said: “Let’s give people the proper tools and put in place proper legislation to prevent these kinds of horrific incidents from occurring in the first place.”
However, dangerous dogs inflict the worst kind damage, usually to the face, that require hours of surgery, said Montreal plastic surgeon Daniel Borsuk, who treated 13 children last summer for extensive injuries from dog mauling. Half the victims were disfigured by pit bulls or pit bull mixes. The Montreal Children’s Hospital treated a similar number of dog bite victims.
In Quebec City, Premier Philippe Couillard said the province cannot transfer all responsibility for animal control to municipalities.
“What happened was horrible. We are talking about laws and regulations and ways to deal with a race of dogs but what happened to this woman was horrendous. It touched me deeply,” he said.
Asked if Quebec has the power to ban the dogs as Ontario did in 2005, Couillard said yes but Quebec likes to avoid wall-to-wall solutions and will talk to the municipalities because it believes in their autonomy.
The debate over animal regulations comes as Montreal is studying an island-wide bylaw to regulate dogs and cats. “We have 19 boroughs and 19 different laws,” said Councillor Anie Samson, vice-chair of the city’s executive committee, who also handles the animal dossier at city hall. It’s not said often enough but pet ownership comes with responsibility, she said.
“If you can’t look after your dog, you can’t be a dog owner, ” Samson said, referring to Wednesday’s fatal incident “Why was the dog free? Where was the owner?”
The Montreal group is looking at changing laws for aggressive or dangerous dogs but it’s premature to say they are leaning toward a ban on pit bulls and pit bull mixes, she said. If one city bans a breed, they’ll go live in another city, she added, displacing the problem.
Samson said she’s pleased the province is stepping in. “Once a decision is made across Quebec, the message will be coherent.”