City council under pressure from animal advocates to OK trap-fix-release program

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on June 13, 2023.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Another vote on allowing stray cats in the city to be fixed then released could return to council sooner if it’s split apart from another defeated amendment, a city committee heard Monday, but City Hall’s legal department will have to weigh in.

Last week, council debated the proposal for an hour before voting the changes down on second reading by a 5-3 vote. Immediately council passed a motion referring the matter back onto the public services committee priorities list to be brought back.

That can’t occur – as per council’s procedures bylaw – for six months unless a two-thirds majority (six or more of nine votes) approves the move, or the bylaw is substantially different.

Administrators told the committee Monday they are working to answer council’s questions about the move, and splitting of an unrelated change grouped in the same amendment may qualify as substantive change.

“We believe that we’ve heard council’s concerns and we’ll address that,” said Brian Stauth, managing director of the public service division.

Administrators and local animal welfare agencies say the program, which would see feral cats trapped, fixed, vaccinated for rabies and other disease, then released, works in controlling stray cat populations.

The logic is since cats are territorial, a neutered cat will keep others away and reduce the potential for breeding, but councillors questioned administrators about the science behind it, or noted the potential for backlash from the public.

Calgary and Edmonton both allow the practice, which would technically violate the city’s existing “Responsible Pet Owner Bylaw” by releasing an animal without owner to run at large.

A wording change is required to remove that jeopardy for local animal shelters that support such a program.

All three members of the committee, Couns. Ramona Robins, Cassi Hider and Allison Knodel, were the only council members who voted in favour of the bylaw change, but now say they have heard from “passionate” animal advocates who blame them for defeating it.

There were two main parts of the bylaw defeated June 5.

One would include the trap-fix-release provisions, and the other would delegate authority to the parks department manager to assign “off-leash” status to newly developed parks based on a set of pre-approved criteria.

An hour-long debate touched on both issues, and the guiding motion to committee asked for more information on the trap-fix-release program, the particulars of adding abandoned rabbits to the program and potentially separating the “off-leash” issue.

Mayor Linnsie Clark said during the meeting that council obviously wanted to deal with the matter and had questions, but administrators needed guidance.

“My concern at this point is that it’s difficult to piece all this together,” she said. “It would be helpful to have a motion (giving) direction to administrators … I don’t think there’s unanimity on any (points).”

17
-16