Maybe it's time we begin a letter-writing campaign to the Quebec Government and let them know in no uncertain terms that Quebec will not be on our list of places to visit in 2003!!!

QUEBEC FEARS INVASION OF PUPPYMILLS

Harsh new Ontario law will push operators across river, official says Peter Zimonjic, The Ottawa Citizen; with files from Anne-Sophie Dumetz Sunday, December 15, 2002

CREDIT: Donald Weber, The Canadian Press

Inspector Sarah Jones of the SPCA holds Honey, one of the dogs rescued in a puppy mill raid on Aug. 25, 2001. The SPCA veterinarian was forced to remove Honey's eye because it was badly infected. The animal's ordeal sparked a new law providing for fines of $60,000 and up to two years in jail for operators of puppy and kitten mills.

A new provincial law that will allow police to crack down on operators of puppy and kitten mills will simply shift the animal-abuse problem from Ontario across the border to Gatineau, says a prominent Quebec animal-rights activist.

While operators of puppy and kitten mills in Ontario will soon face fines of $60,000 and jail terms of up to two years when a law passed at Queen's Park takes effect, Quebec remains a haven for mill operators because the province has no laws to stop mill operators.

"We think the new law is wonderful, and we are very envious, but it doesn't solve the problem," says Pierre Barnoti, executive director of the Quebec Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"All puppy and kitten mill operators will have to do is move to Quebec and carry on doing what they cannot do in Ontario."

Mr. Barnoti says the QSPCA has already recorded an increase in puppy and kitten mills in areas close to the Ontario border, and he fears the situation will only get worse when the new law takes effect.

The puppy and kitten mill problem, says Mr. Barnoti, is out of control. Federal legislation still declares dogs and cats to be property and does not protect them from the types of abuses that occur in mills.

Owners of mills can earn high profits by minimizing the cost of feeding, housing and maintaining the health of their animals. Some of
the worst operators house up to 70 different breeds at once while top-quality breeders usually work with no more than three breeds at most.

An operation uncovered in 2000 in the Laurentians shocked residents by the sheer horror of the conditions of the animals.

Adult dogs, virtually starved, were eating newborn puppies before the owner could remove them to be sold.

The animals were so thin their rib cages stuck out over bloated bellies. Dead and partially eaten dogs were everywhere: discarded in
corners, piled up behind the barn and hanging from the rafters.

Mr. Barnoti says he has been fighting the Quebec government to pass laws to impose stricter punishments for mill operators. He said yesterday he is even more frustrated now that such laws have been passed in Ontario.

On Tuesday, Toronto-area Tory MPP Julia Munro introduced a petition signed by 240,000 Ontario residents into the Ontario legislature demanding tougher penalties for puppy and kitten mill operators.

The "Honey Needs You" campaign was launched in November 2001 for a puppy named Honey. The young pup lost an eye due to an untreated infection caused by filthy and crowded conditions in the puppy mill where it was born.

The introduction of the petition came at the same time as Ms. Munro's bill calling for tougher penalties for mill operators entered the
House for third reading. Bill 129 passed after two days and will be given royal assent next week.

"We are delighted that some action has finally been taken. We have been pushing for this type of law for years," Bruce Roney, executive director of the Ottawa Humane Society said yesterday. "This is certainly a step forward."

The new law makes it a provincial offence to operate puppy or kitten mills and creates a set of standards of care for animal breeders. Those found guilty of violating the standards will face a $60,000 fine and two years in jail.

The law also gives the courts the power to impose a lifetime ownership ban on convicted breeders.

"I am thrilled ... my private member's bill passed third reading," Ms. Munro said in a news release.

"If all breeders were to comply with these standards, we would no longer have puppy or kitten mills in the province of Ontario."

Bill 129 will impose almost exactly the same penalties that Liberal MPP Mike Colle tried unsuccessfully to push through the Ontario legislature in 2001. His bill sought the same two-year jail term and lifetime ban, but only attempted to impose a $50,000 fine.

Since November 2001, the SPCA has taken action on 90 suspected puppy mills and has seized more than 950 dogs and puppies across Ontario in desperate need of medical and emotional care.

But under the Criminal Code, there was only a maximum fine of $2,000 for those found guilty of cruelty to animals, which many mill operators in Ontario simply saw as a cost of doing business.

"We appreciate Julia Munro's support on the puppy mill issue," said Vicky Earle, CEO of the OSPCA. "While we had hoped that the government would be in a position to introduce more far-reaching amendments to the Ontario SPCA Act, we welcome any steps that will better protect abused and neglected animals in Ontario," she said.

Ontario animal-rights activists are viewing the new law as a step in the right direction, but not a solution to the problem. Mr. Roney says the Ottawa Humane Society is pushing the federal government to pass a bill currently tied up in Senate committee that would no longer define dogs and cats "property" and would offer the animals protection under the law.

This bill has been delayed because it was originally a part of a criminal-law bill that included amendments to gun-control. The Liberals recently split the bill into two in order to allow the government to meet an end of year deadline on gun-control.

A scandal over the ballooning costs of the gun registry derailed the gun-control amendments and left the animal-cruelty laws awaiting an
uncertain future.

Without a federal or provincial law to help quebec's animal-protection agency crack down on its estimated 1,500 to 1,800 puppy and kitten mills, the problem, says Mr. Barnoti, will continue.

"If you don't stop the problem in Quebec, you won't stop the problem across Canada," he says. "Quebec will become the supplier for the
whole country."

© Copyright 2002 The Ottawa Citizen