SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
City council is split on whether the number of dogs a homeowner can own should be capped, despite a revised dog bylaw proposed by administration last month that omits the cap.
The debate about the number of dogs per household is back on the table. The city will host a public meeting to hear from residents on the proposed changes. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo |
The city will be hosting a public meeting on May 16 at city hall in order to hear from residents on proposed changes to the dog bylaw.
The city has also issued a survey asking if people support a cap. At this point, however, at least four city councillors want to see the number of dogs per household restricted.
Councillors Bob Brooks, Cory Vanthuyne, Adrian Bell, and Phil Moon Son supported the idea for a cap this week, while Linda Bussey, Rebecca Alty and Niels Konge opposed it. Dan Wong was the only one not yet committing his opinion.
Moon Son was the only councillor to state a specific cap number of four. Brooks said his "preliminary thought" was three, but remains open to changing that figure, or the idea of the cap, if members of the public propose a better solution.
Several councillors said they are frustrated that administration only consulted with groups such as veterinary clinics, Borealis Pet Supplies and the NWT SPCA before coming to council.
"I was," said Coun. Cory Vanthuyne, when asked if he was disappointed the public wasn't consulted. "I specifically asked administration outside of council chambers to go out to the public-at-large and ask about limits. And they didn't. Now we are because that is what council asked for, but they should have done that in the first place."
Similarly, Brooks said it was important to have a more extended public consultation process with the public because a lot of people will be affected, especially if a cap on the number of dogs is approved.
"I was disappointed, but I was more disappointed they didn't have an extended public process," said Brooks. "I wanted to know if there was a plan or a special process or special advertisement because this isn't like changing the speed limit in a neighbourhood. This is dealing with dogs and people often think of dogs like their children. It has to be a much more extensive public process because the town is divided on it and we need to get as much exposure as possible to see what the problem is and what the best process is to go forward."
Still other councillors, including Bussey, Alty and Konge, feel that the city shouldn't determine how many dogs a homeowner can own because each person is different.
"I can have one dog and be the worst dog owner in the world and not pick up in my backyard," said Bussey.
"There are people I know that have four dogs and you would never know they have a dog."
Should there be a cap on the number of dogs a homeowner can own?
Phil Moon Son - Yes. I feel there should be a cap of four. I feel there should be an exception and people should be able to apply for more. I feel that the arguments made that it would be hard to enforce is valid, however, I think there are also ways we can overcome that.
Dan Wong - Need to hear from the public. I can see (a cap) being a potentially important tool to use against offenders who are not responsible with their dogs. (But) I see some potential problems with having a blanket regulation for all Yellowknife households in that way.
Niels Konge - No. I am not in support of a cap. Some people will have one animal that they cannot take care of and that is a nuisance to the neighbours and a detriment to everybody's outdoor living. There are other people who can have several dogs and it is quite the opposite and are not a nuisance to the neighbourhood. So I don't think we need to limit.
Linda Bussey - No. I don't think we should be limiting the number of dogs. I think the responsibility needs to be put on the pet owner and I think we need to make them accountable. I don't think having less dogs makes you a better owner.
Cory Vanthuyne - Yes. I am for administration doing research on a cap and technically yes. What the number should be, I'm not sure. That is still open for discussion. My concern is that in typical residential lots, it makes sense to have a cap.
Bob Brooks - Yes. I am definitely for the cap and I believe there is an easy way to enforce the cap because every dog is supposed to have a licence. First it says how many you dogs have. Typically the only time anyone is going to come to your door is if somebody complains.
Rebecca Alty - No. Right now I think you can be a negligent dog owner with one or a negligent dog owner with six. So it is really dog owner dependent.
Adrian Bell - Yes. I am for it and I don't know where the cap should be set. That is a discussion we have to have, but we have to put measures in place to prevent worse-case scenarios.
