Feb. 4, 2005. 01:00 AM
Criminals are drawn to pit bulls, chief says
Fantino backs proposed ban by province
Attorney-general sticks to his guns despite opposition
ROBERT BENZIE
Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino says "pit bulls are the dogs of choice for criminals" and the breed should be banned in Ontario.
Testifying at a legislative committee on the Liberal government's proposed bill to outlaw the dogs, Fantino said yesterday he strongly endorses Attorney-General Michael Bryant's move.
"I'm here to support this legislation for two reasons. It will improve community safety and also it will improve officer safety," the chief said.
Fantino said outlaw motorcycle gangs, drug dealers, street gangsters and other criminals favour pit bulls to guard everything from marijuana grow houses to hideouts.
"For instance in May of 2004 our service participated in a very large and complex takedown of very violent individuals known as the Malvern Crew, a very prominent street gang," he said, noting 65 people were arrested and more than 500 charges were laid.
At one location, police were attacked by a pit bull belonging to the gang and were forced to shoot the dog dead. In other instances, officers have had to shoot pit bulls more than once to stop them or to use Taser stun guns because pepper spray does not work.
"From our experience, these dogs are used as weapons," Fantino said. "Our officers are becoming equally as cognizant of dangerous dogs as they are of guns when they arrive on scenes of their calls," said the chief, who is leaving his post at month's end to become Ontario's emergency services commissioner.
Bryant said despite opposition to Bill 132 from some dog enthusiasts and animal-rights groups, he has no qualms about the ban.
"Pit bulls are inherently dangerous," he said. "They pose too great a risk to public safety — too many victims, too great a risk — and therefore over time we need less pit bulls and that will mean less pit bull attacks."
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`Pit bulls are inherently dangerous. They pose too great a risk to public safety.'
Michael Bryant, Ontario attorney-general
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The attorney-general was flanked by heavy security from the Ontario Provincial Police. He said he had received threats since introducing the pit bull bill, but he did not elaborate.
Bryant told the committee that the province wants the dogs phased out of existence.
"You over time eliminate the dog that is causing the bite, over time you will eliminate the bite," he said, noting that's what happened in Winnipeg since the city banned pit bulls in 1990.
Bryant reminded the committee that his legislation would allow pit bull owners to keep their pets if the dogs are neutered and wear muzzles in public. The attorney-general said it would be inhumane not to ban the animals because dog pounds are filled with pit bulls no one wants to adopt. Liz White, director of the Animal Alliance of Canada, urged MPPs to vote against the bill. White said the law, as proposed, "is punitive to a poorly defined class of dogs, regardless of temperament and even when there is no history of biting."
Instead, she said laws should be enacted to clamp down on illegal breeding and "aggressive and cruel training."
Conservative MPP Joe Tascona (Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford) called the proposed law "flawed" and "unworkable."
"Chief Fantino has his view with respect to the criminal element. But will banning pit bulls reduce the criminal element's use of them?" he told reporters.
New Democrat MPP Peter Kormos (Niagara-Centre) accused the Liberals of using the ban for the purposes of publicity, not public safety. "Pit bulls happen to be the vicious dog of the month. A couple of years ago it was German shepherds and Dobermans," said Kormos. "Let's eliminate the breed-specific portion of this (law)."