Denis Coderre says Montreal will appeal pit bull ban suspension

Vowing that the city won't give in to "threats or interest groups," Mayor Denis Coderre has announcedMontreal will appeal the suspension of its pit bullban and restrictions.

In an open letter onhis Facebook page and website, Coderre said while the city respects the lives of animals, it will always put its citizens' safety first.

He was disappointed by the ruling, but won't make compromises when it comes tosafety. While he is open to making changes to the bylaw, he's not backing down, he said.

Mayor Denis Coderre defends Montreal's pit bull ban

8 years ago

Duration 0:39

Denis Coderre said the city had to do something about pit bulls, and he'd rather act before someone else is bitten.

"Owning a dog or cat in Montreal is a privilege, not a right. And it comes with obligations," Coderre said.

He said the city sees its approach as a "sensible" solution to the issue of "repeated" pit bull attacks and bites.

• ReadCoderre'sletter in full here

The bylaw went into effect Monday andincludesa requirement fora special permit for pit bull owners and rules restricting the dog's movement outdoors. Those who fail to follow the rules may eventually be ordered tohave their dog euthanized.

Itwas suspended by a Quebec Superior Court judge on Wednesday pending a court ruling on a legal challenge.

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Coderre tries to set record straight

The SPCA, which brought forth the legal challenge, arguesthat clauses of thebylaw thatdealwith pit bull-type dogsshould be declarednull and illegal.

JusticeLouis Gouin said Wednesdaythe bylaw lacked clarity and appeared to have been written too hastily.He said the city did not properly define how to identify a pit bull.

Gouin encouragedthe city to "return to the drawing board" and revisit its formulation of sections of the bylaw.

On Radio-Canada's Gravel le matin,Coderresaid everything can be improved upon but hebelieves the city is on solid ground with its legislation.

He pointed to jurisprudence, including the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada upheldOntario's pit bull ban, as proof.

He saidGouin erred in fact and law when he suspended the bylaw andhit back at hiscritics, saying it's false to say the city:

• Only targeted pit bulls, when in fact the bylaw includes elements pertaining to dogs, regardless of breed, that have bitten someone or a pet.
• Acted too quickly, when the bylaw went through the usual council approval process.
• Went after dogs but not their owners, when the city is getting tougher on owners who don't register their animals.

Coderresaid since the debate began,he hasbeen comparedto Adolf Hitler andthe Gestapo, and portrayed as someone who will exterminate dogs en masse.

"To the people making photos of me with piles of [dead] dogs, I can assure you if you have a pit bull, you can keep it. But if you're not fit to own a dog, you're going to lose it," he said.

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Call for resignation

OppositionProjetMontralis calling forAnie Samson, the member of Montreal'sexecutive committee responsible for the animal file, to resign.

The group claims Samson and Coderre did not do their homework before introducing the bylaw

"Ajudge who has the competence and experience to question this law wentthrough it with a fine-toothedcomb and found a million different things in it that don't hold water," said Coun. Sterling Downey.

The partyoutlinedthree otherinstances where proposals or regulations createdby the city were overturned on appeal or by a tribunal:

• Bylaw P-6, which set out to banmasked protestersand makeit illegal to participate in a demonstration if the route wasn't filed with police.
• A proposal to havebars open until 6 a.m.
• A moratorium oncalches (2-wheeled horse-drawn vehicles).

TheSPCAsaid itdoes not "fear an appeal" since as far as it is concerned, the decision was well-founded.

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