It’s unclear when British Columbia will get regulations for pet breeders, but in the meantime the provincial government is providing $12 million of new funding to the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to replace four aging or closed animal shelters.
On Monday, Premier David Eby announced the construction of four replacement animal shelters while committing to finally adopting breeder regulations, including a registry.
“We are going to deliver on that (the registry) but it’s not as quickly as we would have liked. But we are absolutely committed,” said Eby.
The SPCA has previously claimed the provincial government was ready to form such regulations and licensing for the likes of cat and dog breeders in 2017, when legislation was passed by the former BC Liberal government; however, when the BC NDP formed government following that year’s election, the regulatory work fell to the wayside.
Eby said the government is committed to a breeder registry “to ensure minimum standards and to avoid the kinds of abuses we’ve seen associated with puppy mills and other kinds of negligent breeding operations.”
Eby said the pandemic disrupted work on the regulations, although it’s unclear what had been done between 2017 and March 2020.
Eby also said he wants to get “upstream on the issues” caused by unregulated breeders.
The SPCA has repeatedly warned of animals being abandoned and abused following the pandemic.
Marcie Moriarty said a “good potential foundation” has been set on regulations and she hopes the government can table regulations as soon as possible.
Moriarty also said breeder regulations will provide the public with some assurances of standards of care.
“When they are getting a dog from a breeder, that breeder will be registered and have certain standards associated with it. What’s missing is the public doesn’t have any assurance,” said Moriarty.
Last March the SPCA went public with a problematic cat breeder in Surrey and took the case to Crown prosecutors. To date, no charges have been laid against the breeder who was alleged to have sold numerous sick kittens.
According to Delta South MLA Ian Paton, the BC Liberal critic for the Ministry of Agriculture, the breeder legislation passed but the regulations did not follow.
Former Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham “didn’t bother to bring it into regulation,” said Paton, in March.
Moriarty said regulations will assist in reducing the likelihood of animal cruelty occurring and may stem the incoming tide of excess pets, although that may take a decade.
"For many British Columbians, pets are part of the family," said Eby in a statement Monday.
"Yet sadly, it's still too common to hear about abandoned or mistreated animals. British Columbians care deeply about the welfare of all animals. That's why we're helping the BC SPCA build four new facilities where rescue animals will be able to get the high-quality care they need and deserve, before they find new homes," said Eby.
According to a media statement, the funding will support projects in:
- Duncan - $1 million to replace a 27-year-old facility. The redevelopment plan is for a 697-square-metre (7,500-square-foot) Vancouver Island Animal Behaviour Centre on the existing site. This will be the first animal behaviour centre of its kind in Canada.
- Fort St. John - $1 million to develop a new permanent shelter after structural issues were identified, which made it unsafe for humans and animals to continue to use the existing building.
- Vancouver - $7 million to develop a replacement shelter with a 1,858 square-metre (20,000-square-foot) animal centre, 836-square-metre (9,000-square-foot) veterinary hospital and 465-square-metre (5,000-square-foot) education centre.
- Prince George - $3 million to develop a new facility that will also provide regional services for the Cariboo and northern B.C.
It is estimated the four facilities will offer care to thousands of companion pets per year in B.C., ranging from cats and dogs, to birds, rabbits and rodents.
