WHEREAS Victoria City Council believes difficulties arise in administering the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, and that this legislation fails to assign full responsibility to dog owners who behave irresponsibly with their dog; AND WHEREAS breed specific legislation is not considered an adequate or appropriate solution to the problem and Victoria City Council believes a provincial review and debate of this issue is necessary and that a uniform policy should be established: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of British Columbia consider an amendment to the provincial Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to include the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for the breeding and care of animals in British Columbia, to be applied to all dog breeders, dog pounds, shelters and pet stores selling dogs; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Province of British Columbia investigate the implementation of a system of monitoring, accessible to all animal control agencies, municipal police, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, that will track individuals who repeatedly keep aggressive dogs, including substantially punitive fines and penalties for repeat offenders.
Ministry of Attorney-General The purpose of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act the Act is animal welfare. The Act establishes and gives authority to the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals BCSPCA to assist animals and investigate alleged offences against them. Where the BCSPCA exercises animal control functions e.g. enforcement of animal control by-laws, it does so through contracts with local governments, not under the Act. The BCSPCA is a private, not-for-profit organization, not a government agency. It may choose to use the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for breeding and care of animals, but government does not direct the operations of the Society. Governments oversight of the BCSPCA is limited to ensuring that its operations do not infringe on individuals civil rights, such as requiring its officers to obtain warrants before entering onto private property. Government would not direct the BCSPCA to share its information with other organizations for the purpose of law enforcement. The Community Charter and the Local Government Act provide local governments with special authority to deal with dogs that have demonstrated a dangerous nature, including seizure of the animal, imposition of penalties on the owner, and destruction of the dog. In addition, the Community Charter authorizes local governments to pass bylaws in relation to animals, including imposing restrictions on dog ownership and banning specific breeds of dog.