Skip to content

Port Alice Dog Control Bylaw has no bite

“We would be able to fine the owner of the dogs up to $10,000.”
7824295_web1_170726-NIG-Dogbylaw_1
BLACK PRESS PHOTO

A new dog control bylaw will be considered by the Village of Port Alice.

The current dog control bylaw No.599 does not provide penalties nor fines for canine owners who contravene the bylaw.

Chief Administrative Officer Paul Carver introduced the Dog Control Amendment Bylaw No.639 to council at their meeting on July 12.

“It doesn’t have a bite to it,” said Mayor Jan Allen of the current bylaw. “If we put this change in, we would be able to fine the owner of the dogs up to $10,000 - I think at that point people would pay attention more than they do now.”

Carver said he’s written animal control bylaws in the past. “You always want to have a penalty statement in there,” he said, adding “essentially what it says is that we can put up to $10,000 as a penalty but we don’t have to ask for that much.”

Financial officer Bonnie Dank noted if “we went to court right now, we don’t have a penalty in our bylaw, so it would be really hard for a judge to make a judgement based on our bylaw - adding the penalty with the fine means we can go to court.”

Allen explained council has “been working with a resident for two years who has basically ignored us.”

She clarified the bylaw is “for an extreme circumstance if it continues. We are not going to fine someone $10,000 for letting their dog run around.”

Allen said the resident in question’s dogs escaped two months ago and attacked another resident and she noted that 28 dogs have previously been taken from his residence.

“It’s people like that that we have to deal with,” she said, adding “it doesn’t mean we have to use the fine, but it gives us the option.”

Council approved a first, second, and third reading of the proposed dog control bylaw amendment.

Once it has final reading, the amendment will become law.