Animal cruelty laws in Ontario see an update

It's a start
Thursday November 20 2008

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
—Mahatma Gandhi

Finally, the McGuinty government has taken steps to improve animal protection laws in this province. It has been a long time coming— since 1919 to be exact. That in itself is an embarrassment to a country that professes to love animals, in the wild or domesticated.

On Monday the Ontario legislature passed the Provincial Animal Welfare Act, the first major overhaul in 89 years. Under the new law, people who abuse animals will face jail, stiffer fines and a lifetime ban on animal ownership. That’s great news for the animals as long as the new law is strictly enforced and there is the necessary money to appropriately fund animal welfare agencies such as Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Halton is fortunate in that it has several agencies dedicated to the well being of unwanted pets. Here in Halton Hills the Upper Credit Humane Society works hard to ensure pets of all kinds are placed into loving homes. But they have to claw for every dollar (pardon the pun) to allow them to carry out their work.

The changes to the act will, hopefully, send a strong message to the people who willfully cause pain to our four-footed friends and those living in the wild.
Some of these key changes include:

• Creating new provincial offences including causing or permitting distress to an animal
• Allowing the The Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) to inspect places where animals are kept for entertainment, exhibition, boarding, sale or hire (long overdue).
• Requiring veterinarians to report suspected abuse and neglect, and protecting them from personal liability for doing so.

While some of the animal rights and protection groups are pleased that the government has finally made an effort to improve the act, there are still many areas where the legislation falls far short, especially where it fails to deal with roadside zoos, or privately-held exotic animals.

But as we stated earlier, at least a start the government has recognized that change is needed.

Source: ifp.com