For Immediate Release
April 3, 2008

Better Protection for Animals in Ontario
McGuinty Government Takes Action To Improve Animal Welfare

NEWS

Jail, fines and a lifetime ban on owning animals are among the changes the provincial government is proposing to better protect animals in Ontario, including those in zoos.

Proposed legislation to be introduced today will, if passed, make Ontario’s animal protection laws the strongest in Canada. These proposed changes are the first comprehensive amendments to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act since it was introduced in 1919.

Key changes in the proposed Provincial Animal Welfare Act include:

• Protecting animals with penalties including jail, fines and a lifetime ownership ban for those who abuse animals
• Requiring veterinarians to report suspected abuse and neglect, and protecting them from liability for doing so
• Allowing the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to inspect places where animals are kept for entertainment, exhibition, boarding, sale or hire.

The proposed legislation builds on the work of Willowdale MPP David Zimmer to regulate roadside zoos. In 2007, the World Society for the Protection of Animals awarded Zimmer the Special Award for Leadership in Animal Welfare.

QUOTES

“We will not tolerate the abuse of animals, including those kept in roadside zoos. If passed, this legislation would offer the strongest animal protection in Canada,” said Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Rick Bartolucci.

"We are pleased that the government has recognized the need to modernize and toughen animal welfare laws and create stiffer penalties for those convicted," said Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Chief Executive Officer Kate MacDonald.

QUICK FACTS

• The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigates roughly 15,000 allegations of animal cruelty each year. 
• There are estimated to be over 50 zoos in Ontario, which is more than all other provinces combined.

LEARN MORE

Learn more about animal welfare in Ontario.

Find out more about the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

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Contact:

Mike Colle, MPP
Eglinton-Lawrence
416-325-4091

Laura Blondeau
Minister’s Office
416-325-4973

Anthony Brown
Communications Branch
416-314-7772