La Broquerie inks new animal control contract

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This article was published 14/02/2017 (2999 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Councillors in the RM of La Broquerie have accepted a new, one-year animal control contract with Prairie Bylaw Enforcement that will see impounded dogs taken to Winnipeg.

The move is the latest in a series of council efforts to bring more regulation to animal ownership within the municipality, with the goal of reducing the number of dogs running at large, and covering costs associated with dog control.

The new contract will expire at the end of the year along with the RM’s general bylaw enforcement contract, Reeve Lewis Weiss explained. The municipality now pays $1,200 per month for animal control, he said, up from $600 per month in years past. Current fine amounts, payable when an impounded dog is claimed by its owner, are designed to recoup any costs beyond that.

Substantial discussion preceded council’s 5-2 vote at last Wednesday’s meeting. Councillor Cameron Peters questioned the practice of allowing residents to use its new online service request software to register stray dog complaints. He expressed a reservation about using municipal resources for this purpose and asked who should pay for the collection and temporary care of loose dogs.

“I am one hundred percent opposed to those people that look after their pets, and those people that don’t have pets, having to pay for those people who aren’t responsible with their pets,” he said.

Peters said he would like to see a fine schedule that more completely covers the cost of apprehending and transporting stray dogs. If this involves steeper fines, he said, it may prove to be an effective deterrent against irresponsible dog ownership. He also stated that tracking enforcement expenses and fine income in more detail would benefit the municipality.

Weiss and Councillor Darrell Unger cast the two opposing votes to the new animal control contract. Unger agreed with Peters that the current first offence fine—$100 for a dog running at large—will likely not cover the cost of impounding.

“Let’s not make money on it, but let’s not lose money on it either,” argued Councillor Ivan Normandeau, who noted the new animal control contract still costs the municipality much less than an in-house alternative.

A table detailing animal control fines can be viewed online in the municipality’s dog bylaw.