ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: January 22, 1996
Dept. File No.2181IC.COV
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Deputy Chief License Inspector
SUBJECT: Replacement Pound By-law
RECOMMENDATION
A. THAT the by-law amendments, attached as Appendix A, be
adopted, including the consolidation of portions of the
Pound, License and Canine Waste By-laws.
B. THAT the Director of Legal Services be instructed to bring
forward the necessary by-law requirements.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services RECOMMENDS approval of
A and B.
PURPOSE
To provide information on a proposed consolidated and updated Animal
Control By-law.
BACKGROUND
The Pound By-law is the oldest by-law that is still being administered
and enforced on a regular basis. Originally passed in 1930, it has
seen very little in the way of amendment except for the annual
adjustment of fees and charges. Because of its age, and the confusion
created by outdated terms, it has now become awkward to enforce and
cumbersome to administer. Accordingly, Pound officials have been
working with the Director of Legal Services to upgrade and modernize
the by-law. The proposals for amendments to the Pound By-law which
follow in this report are intended to reduce the level of frustration
the public experiences in trying to understand its provisions, to make
its administration easier and more economic, and to increase
successful enforcement.
DISCUSSION
Most of these amendments are essentially housekeeping in nature, and
few make any substantive changes to the by-law. The proposals can be
generally described and grouped as follows:
1. The name should be changed from Pound to Animal Control to
reflect the real nature and purpose of the by-law, which is
to regulate the keeping of animals in the City and, only
where necessary, to require their impoundment.
2. The definitions should be simplified and clarified where
necessary.
3. The by-law should be written in a gender-neutral format as
have nearly all other major by-laws.
4. The by-law should be generally rewritten to modernize and
simplify its language.
5. The dog licensing provisions presently contained in the
License By-law should be moved over to the new by-law so
that the public can find all provisions relating to animals
in one place.
6. The Canine Waste Disposal By-law should be consoli-dated
with the new by-law for the same reason as noted above.
7. Redundant and unenforceable provisions should be deleted.
8. The fees and charges which were contained throughout the by-
law should be relocated to the fee schedule so that the
public can easily see what charges are involved.
9. Specific provisions relating to "cows, bulls, stallions,
rams, horses, mules, cattle, sheep, goats, swine, geese,
ducks, and fowl" should be deleted and replaced by reference
to "other animals besides dogs and cats", thereby enabling
an Animal Control Officer to effectively deal with animals,
including exotic animals that are not specifically listed in
the by-law.
10. The Pound, in addition to the routine incineration of all
dead animals, and in response to a large public demand,
provides a private cremation service. When a private
cremation is requested, the customer is provided with a
container that has 100% of the pet's ashes. The current fee
for this service is $50 (plus the applicable service charge)
and it should be formalized into the new fee schedule.
Two amendments may be characterized as being more substantive than
housekeeping. These are:
1. Requirements for advertising in a newspaper that an animal
has been impounded should be replaced by the requirement to
post a notice in the Pound with this information. The
Director of Permits & Licenses recommends this change
because the cost of advertis-ing in city-wide newspapers is
prohibitive.
2. A new provision should be added making it an offence to
interfere with, resist or otherwise obstruct the Poundkeeper
in the carrying out of his/her duty in seizing a dog or
other animal. The Director of Permits & Licenses recommends
this addition because of increasing problems in enforcement
of the by-law in city parks and beaches. This amendment
would allow for charges to be laid against individuals who
obstruct any enforcement action taken by Pound staff.
CONCLUSION
A committee made up of Park Board, City and Pound representa-tives is
currently reviewing a number of issues related to enforcement. This
process will extend well into 1996, and may result in future by-law
changes.
In the meantime, the consolidation of the three by-laws dealing with
animal control, along with clarification of the powers under the by-
law, will assist with enforcement and will provide improved
information to the public.
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