Ontario says other jurisdictions will follow its lead on pit bull ban

[Mochasmom]

Tuesday, Mar 01, 2005
Ontario says other jurisdictions will follow its lead on pit bull ban

TORONTO (CP) - Ontario's ban on pit bulls will lead the way for governments across North America as they place similar restrictions on the controversial canine breed, the provincial government said Tuesday.
"I would anticipate that other states and provinces across North America will pursue it when they see that, in fact, in Ontario it got safer with this bill," Attorney General Michael Bryant said of the legislation, which was passed by the provincial legislature. "Mark my words, Ontario will be safer."

Ontario is the first province to pass a ban on the breed in the wake of several grisly incidents, including a frenzied attack in which a 25-year-old Toronto man was almost eaten alive by two pit bulls.

Police needed more than a dozen bullets to kill the animals.


Animal activists have been passionately vocal in their opposition to the ban, arguing that breed-specific legislation will do little to stop dog attacks.

"I never let that bother me. I know some people feel very strongly about it, and some people have gone over the top," said Bryant of the often virulent reaction to his legislation.

"This is the right thing to do. This is going to increase public safety in the province of Ontario."



The law contains a grandfather clause to protect dogs already in the province, but will require those dogs to be neutered, and they must be muzzled and leashed in public. It also sets fines of $10,000 for owners of dangerous dogs and allows for a jail term of up to six months.


Municipalities will be responsible for enforcing the law and two Ontario cities, Kitchener-Waterloo and Windsor, already have bans in place. The last pit bull in Winnipeg, which has had a ban for 14 years, died last year.

"The experience in Winnipeg and Kitchener was that you began to see a drop in pit bull bites, even after the first couple of years," said Bryant. "But we should have, immediately, better public safety, better protection of the public from pit bull bites because they will now all have to be muzzled, leashed, and neutered or spayed."

A bill similar to Ontario's brought before the New Brunswick legislature was withdrawn last year after politicians deemed that breed-specific restrictions would not be helpful. Vancouver backed away from a ban earlier this month, opting instead to go after owners of all dangerous dogs.


Ontario's New Democrats, who voted against the legislation, echoed that sentiment Tuesday.

"Experts agree, the pit bull ban won't make Ontario safer," NDP member of provincial parliament Peter Kormos said in a release. "Getting tough on irresponsible dog owners and holding them accountable for vicious dog attacks will provide tough, effective and enforceable protection against dog attacks."


The legislation still requires royal assent before it's proclaimed into law.

There are similar bans in place in France, Britain and Germany.



© The Canadian Press, 2005
http://www.mytelus.com/news/article....icleID=1859317