July 18, 2013

Hon. Coralee Oakes Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Room 124 Parliament Buildings Victoria, BC V8V 1X4 Dear Minister Oakes: Re: Section 49 of the Community Charter Special Powers in Relation to Dangerous Dogs

On behalf of The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA), I want to extend our warmest congratulations on your re-election and your appointment as Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. The BC SPCA has a strong tradition as the provinces most trusted animal welfare organisation and is the only not-for-profit with the authority to enforce B.C.s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. I look forward to an opportunity to meet in the future to brief you more comprehensively on the BC SPCAs strong community presence through our 40 locations across the province; nonetheless, a more pressing matter has come to my attention that I felt warranted prompt correspondence. We have recently been provided with a report and petition, circulated by Ms. Karen Stiewe, outlining a number of gaps in British Columbias Community Charter, Section 49, Special powers in relation to dangerous dogs. I would like to voice the BC SPCAs support for a review of British Columbias Community Charter, Section 49(Special powers in relation to dangerous dogs) to address these gaps and to offer our assistance from the hands-on experience we have gained in enforcing dangerous dog bylaws throughout the province. In a preliminary review of legislation in other provinces, we have found that the legislation in place in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island more explicitly outlines the structure of how a dog can be deemed dangerous. These laws are also written in a way that helps to prevent the long term confinement of dogs, which can lead to physical and psychological suffering. The BC SPCA recognizes that inappropriate aggression by dogs against people and other animals is a serious threat to public safety, and that this issue must be addressed if we are to create humane, liveable communities where people and dogs can share public spaces in a safe and respectful manner. Successful models for dealing with canine aggression do exist in other

jurisdictions. These models focus on legislation, education and the creation of remedial resources for aggressive dogs. The BC SPCA believes the most effective approach to dealing with the issue of inappropriate canine aggression in our communities is to develop an approach based on these models. Included with this letter is more detail about the BC SPCA Position Statement on the subject of Dangerous Dogs and Public Safety and recommended approaches for legislation, education and recognizing and addressing the root causes of aggression. Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment on this important issue; please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 604.681.7271 to solicit any further input. Sincerely,

Craig Daniell Chief Executive Officer cc: Norm Letnick, MLA Jane Thornthwaite, MLA