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A Hectic First Month of 2019 for the OLA by Shirley Dolan

Shirley Dolan

Shirley Dolan

We couldn’t have asked for a more tumultuous start to the new year! On January 2, barely into the new year, we received the news that Justice Minnema had issued his decision to the case Bogarts v. the Attorney General of Ontario. The OLA had won on the first and most important question we had submitted over five years ago to the Superior Court of Ontario. Minnema found that the enforcement powers held by Ontario’s private animal welfare agency to be unconstitutional, saying the province must re-write laws governing the organization to remedy the situation, giving them one-year to do this. https://globalnews.ca/news/4812061/ospcas-enforcement-powers-are-unconstitutional-ontario-judge-rules/

From there, it has been a roller coaster ride as we wait to see if the province will appeal. The appeal period ends February 2.

Feedback on the decision has been largely positive from all sides. It seems that many organizations have long hoped for a revision of the OSPCA Act. We now have that opportunity provided the Attorney General does not appeal. An appeal would delay the chance to start work on a new Act that would benefit animals and owners alike.

Reform Advocates for Animal Welfare (RAAW) has started a petition to “request that the Ford government and the Office of the Attorney General does not move forward with an appeal in this case.” If you believe as we do that it is time to fix this law, please consider signing and sharing the petition. https://www.change.org/p/do-not-appeal-court-decision

For more information and updates on this case, please visit www.fixthelaw.ca.