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Cold Lake council takes another look at Animal Care and Control Bylaw

The Animal Care and Control Bylaw is once again being discussed by council, and is included in the March 28 regular meeting agenda.
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COLD LAKE - With a new Animal Care and Control bylaw approved in August of 2022, the City of Cold Lake has come across a few glitches as residents come forward to license their pets.

Along with the new bylaw approved last summer, council also agreed to waive the 2023 licensing fee for pets. In November, the City began issuing 2023 pet licenses at City Hall. Residents have since been applying for pet licenses, and in some cases are wanting to license more animals than what is allowed under the bylaw.

“We will issue 2023 animal licences at no charge while our staff stand up the new program in-house over the course of the year,” said Mayor Craig Copeland, back in November. “Animal licensing is an important part of ensuring stray pets are returned safely to their home as quickly as possible," he noted.

During the March 21 Corporate Priorities Committee Meeting, administration brought up the topic of some residences having more animals than allowed, requesting direction on how to proceed with these situations. 

According to the bylaw, a residence can have three cats, three dogs, or two rabbits. If a residence has a combination of animals, the maximum cannot exceed five animals total.

There are, however, exceptions to the rule, such as breeders, foster homes for animals, training facilities for animals, animal shelters, and areas within the City that are zoned as agriculture.

It was noted that when the situations were discovered, it was not because any complaints had been made, but rather it was when pet owners came in to apply for their licenses that they were found to be in contradiction of the bylaw. To date, no fines have been issued. 

Council discussed the number of animals allowed under the bylaw, with Copeland stating one "yappy" dog could be more of a nuisance than a household with multiple dogs. 

Ultimately, the bylaw was created as a way to ensure animals are being cared for properly, and to avoid hoarder type situations, heard council. 

Coun. Adele Richardson said she felt the bylaw was "reasonable," noting that if the bylaw was changed to just five animals total, regardless of the type of animal, five dogs would seem like a lot for one household.

Coun. Chris Vining spoke in favour of simplifying the bylaw so it would read as just five animals total - cats, dogs or rabbits - rather than putting a maximum on each type of animal. Four dogs could be less of a problem than four cats if people are letting the cats out, for example, said Vining.

Richardson then acknowledged it would be an acceptable change, and it would also make most of the residences in question compliant, except one. 

Vining said he appreciated the fact that people are coming forward to license their animals, “and that’s how we found out about this.”

Council requested information about enforcement of the bylaw, and what happens after a ticket it issued for non-compliance.

The fine for having an unlicensed pet cat or dog in the City of Cold Lake is $100 for the first offence, $200 for the second offence and $300 for any third and subsequent offences. Having more animals than allowed also comes with fines. 

The Animal Care and Control Bylaw is expected to come back to council at this week's regular council meeting set for March 28 at 6 p.m.


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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