Toronto Board of Health Meeting Jan 17

[TrishB]

Please read:

NOTICE TO INTERESTED PARTIES

The following report:

Agenda item 12: (January 5, 2005) from the Medical Officer of Health, headed "Preventing Vicious Dog Attacks in Toronto"

will be considered by the Board of Health at its meeting to be held on:

Monday, January 17, 2005
At 2:00 p.m. (or as near thereto as possible)
Committee Room No. 1, Second Floor
Toronto City Hall

To obtain a copy of this material, please:
call 416-397-7766;
log on to the City of Toronto website at www.toronto.ca/legdocs/agendas.htm; or
e-mail: boh@toronto.ca

If you wish to address the Board of Health with respect to this matter, please call 416-397-7766. Registered speakers will be heard on a first-come-first-served basis.

Each deputation is limited to 5 minutes in order to provide as many people as possible the opportunity to speak. If any organization wishes to address the Board, one person should be chosen to represent the group. If you wish to be present for this item, you should attend at the time indicated. However, the Board may be delayed in its consideration of items preceding this item and the delay could extend to an hour or more.

A written submission may be presented, but it is not necessary. Written comments may also be submitted without making a verbal presentation.

Attendant Care Services can be made available with some advance notice.

F. Adamo/jd
Secretary,
Board of Health

January 10, 2005

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More info from the Medical Officer of Health's report dated January 5, 2005:


Preventing Vicious Dog Attacks in Toronto

Report (January 5, 2005) from the Medical Officer of Health, providing policy recommendations and strategies to prevent vicious dog attacks in the City of Toronto.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) the Medical Officer of Health report to the Board of Health, in consultation with the City Solicitor, on amendments to the Municipal Code Chapter 349 to strengthen prevention of dog attacks and on related enhancements to prevention and enforcement programs, as soon as possible after proposed provincial legislation amending the Dog Owners' Liability Act is passed;

(2) the Medical Officer of Health report to the Board of Health Budget Subcommittee within six months with a detailed strategy for increasing revenue generation from Animal Services;

(3) the Attorney General be requested to include in the proposed amendments to the Dog Owners' Liability Act a requirement to microchip all restricted pit bulls;

(4) the Attorney General be requested to ensure that any regulations regarding the final disposition of pit bulls be applied equally to municipalities, humane societies and contracted services;

(5) the Attorney General be requested to fund 100% of municipal implementation costs related to proposed amendments to the Dog Owners' Liability Act for a three year transitional period;

(6) this report be forwarded to the Attorney General with a request to consider adopting those strategies with province wide implications; and

(7) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

[TrishB]

Is anyone else going to this today?

[brunie's mom]

Sorry , Trish..not going, but there was a very interesting piece on CTV News last night.
They talked about the Toronto Medical Officer of Health and about dog bites...and that 2/3rds of dog bites happen to young children and how there is no bite prevention being taught. There should be things taught at school ,etc.
The story also said that Ontario wants to ban Pits...yet all of the Animal Services Employees of the city agree that it is the German Shepherd breed that has the most bite complaints against it....and there is nothing being done about this breed.
It was very well done and talked about the Medical Officer of Health wanting dogs of any breed that have bitten or are dangerous to wear special tags, that all Pits must be neutered/spayed, and that the laws must be upheld for all breeds.

Gina

[TrishB]

Originally Posted by brunie's mom

Sorry , Trish..not going, but there was a very interesting piece on CTV News last night.
They talked about the Toronto Medical Officer of Health and about dog bites...and that 2/3rds of dog bites happen to young children and how there is no bite prevention being taught. There should be things taught at school ,etc.
The story also said that Ontario wants to ban Pits...yet all of the Animal Services Employees of the city agree that it is the German Shepherd breed that has the most bite complaints against it....and there is nothing being done about this breed.
It was very well done and talked about the Medical Officer of Health wanting dogs of any breed that have bitten or are dangerous to wear special tags, that all Pits must be neutered/spayed, and that the laws must be upheld for all breeds.

Gina

I really shouldn't go. Mondays at the office are not days to take time off. My boss is understanding - but I don't like to push it. If I knew other people were going, then maybe I wouldn't have to.
*sigh*
Thanks for even considering it Gina!

[TrishB]

The results of the meeting:

Jan. 18, 2005. 01:00 AM Toronto Star

Health board targets city's bad dogs
Wants to curb vicious animals

But licensing gap could be a problem

BRUCE DEMARA
CITY HALL BUREAU

The Toronto Board of Health wants to put the muzzle on all vicious dogs — not just the pit bulls that will soon be banned by provincial legislation.

Board members directed staff yesterday to determine if the city has the authority to designate dogs either dangerous or potentially dangerous, and to look at criteria such as muzzling in public, enforced neutering or requiring dog owner liability insurance.

"I think the board wanted something with a bit more teeth in it and that would be a companion Toronto piece to whatever provincial legislation goes through," said board chair Councillor John Filion (Ward 23, Willowdale).

But first, the board must grapple with a serious problem that could impede the effort to identify bad dogs: the fact that only 10 to 15 per cent of the estimated 200,000 canines in Toronto are licensed.

Filion said he assumed more than half of all dogs in the city were legally licensed and was "completely shocked" that the number was so low.

"Either we haven't had the resources or we haven't had the will, but we've just been letting people get away with not licensing their dogs. In addition to causing a revenue problem, it also causes a problem in identifying dogs," Filion said.

Medical officer of health Dr. David McKeown said low numbers of licences result in lower revenues and the inability of animal control staff to attack the issue of vicious dogs.

"If we're going to expand to do a better job in reducing the risk of vicious dog attacks, we're going to need more resources. Licensing is an important tool for keeping track of dogs, for monitoring dogs and their behaviour," McKeown said.

Licence fees in Toronto range from $10 for a dog that is neutered and microchipped to $50 for a dog that is neither.

In a report, McKeown noted studies from Health Canada and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consistently show the majority of dog attacks happen to children under 14 who are attacked by dogs they know. Only 15 per cent of dog bites occur in public places.

In Toronto, figures from 2001 to 2003 indicate 52 per cent of bites came from nine breeds out of 70. Pit bulls were second to German shepherds as the main culprits.

Filion said he nonetheless personally supports the provincial legislation to ban pit bulls.

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Please note the statistics that are mentioned in this article.

1) "the fact that only 10 to 15 per cent of the estimated 200,000 canines in Toronto are licensed." So if they aren't enforcing licensing laws - they can't enforce leash laws.

2) "Only 15 per cent of dog bites occur in public places." Therefore - muzzling one breed in public like Bill 132 requires - will have next to no impact.

3) "In Toronto, figures from 2001 to 2003 indicate 52 per cent of bites came from nine breeds out of 70. Pit bulls were second to German shepherds as the main culprits." Speaks for itself.

[groupieindenial]

Yep. Once again this proposed legislation only hurts those responsible owners (like us) who DO all the right things, license our dogs, train them etc.... The legislation will only push those to continue to avoid registering their dogs. If theres no way to track them, no one will bug them.

[TrishB]

Originally Posted by groupieindenial

Yep. Once again this proposed legislation only hurts those responsible owners (like us) who DO all the right things, license our dogs, train them etc.... The legislation will only push those to continue to avoid registering their dogs. If theres no way to track them, no one will bug them.

It's a good point though - maybe this could be a good way to 'jump start' licensing. If you license your dog, the Bill 132 requirements won't apply to you, as long as it's current. The cash flow from the licensing would then finance the policing of leash laws, education of the public, owners and children.

I'd still want it to be breed neutral - any dog found off leash, threatening, etc. and be unlicensed - be subjected to the higher fine schedule than those who are licensed. An actual attack / bite would not be on the tiered schedule - that's too serious.


I'm just thinking out loud here - it may be a junk idea - but we need a way for dogs to get licensed and to be able to fund the education of people about pets - which has shown to cause a drastic drop in canine related injuries.

What do you guys think?