Councilors in London, Ontario want more information before voting a clause exemption requested by snakewhich will open soon Reptile Zoo and the Conservation Center in the west end of town.
Despite previous opposition from the city council, Reptilia received a building permit earlier this year which allowed it to set up shop Westmount MallWhere the zoo is expected to open in early 2023.
In 2011, the city council removed zoning for privately owned zoos, meaning that those wishing to open a zoo in London would need council approval.
Reptilia attempted to do this in 2018 through two proposals that failed to gain councilor support: one to staff zoos in London and collect public feedback and information about mobile zoos; and another to draft amendments to the staff Business License Bylaws L-131-16 To regulate zoos, fairs, exhibitions and circuses.
‘What went wrong?’ London, Ont. Councilor, wildlife advocate Haran Reptilia took the permit
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Appeared before the Reptilia Community and Protective Services (CAPS) committee on Tuesday to request an exemption for London animal control bylaws,
The bye-law prohibits the ownership and display of animals “normally found in the wild and natural state”. Referred to as Class 7 animals under the bylaws, it includes, but is not limited to, crocodiles, alligators, venomous snakes and venomous lizards.
The request was subject to more than an hour-long discussion with members of the public Brian Child and Robert Murphy, Reptilia’s president and director of animal welfare, respectively, who spoke before the committee.
Both touted the zoo’s safety record over its 26-year history with facilities in Vaughan and Whitby, and spoke of the value of entertainment and education it would bring to London.
Leo Longo, an attorney representing McCorm Management Inc., which manages Westmount Mall, spoke of the shopping center’s support for the bylaw exemption following Reptilia’s demand, and that Westmount views the zoo as a positive for the city. Is.
Longo told the CAPS committee that in his legal opinion, Reptilia is already exempt from the animal control bylaws “because it operates under a provincial license.”
Section 3.6 of the bylaw, which Longo cited, says, “This bylaw shall not apply to animals operated in a public park, zoo, fair, exhibition or circus or licensed by a municipal or other governmental authority.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, 11 of the 15 speakers spoke against the zoo’s request for an exemption to the bylaws.
Mary Bloch, vice-chair of London’s Animal Welfare Community Advisory Committee, said: “I ask you to stick to the council’s previous decisions, which came only a few months ago.”
“Zoos are a sore point for humane societies because they have a poor record of adhering to their own poor standards within their own organisations,” said Joris van Daele, former director and president of the London Humane Society. ,
Scott Tinney, a staff lawyer for the Toronto-based advocacy group Animal Justice, warned that granting the exemption would set a precedent that deters councils from banning Reptilia in the future. He also balked at the claim that Reptilia’s provincial licensing exempted it from animal control bylaws.
“A wide variety of animals housed in Reptilia are non-native animals and therefore beyond the jurisdiction of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and thus not the subject of existing provincial licenses,” said Tinney.
Councilors on the CAPS committee, as well as several guest councillors, spent a further two hours debating the exemption. While councilors do not have the power to pass bylaws at the committee level, they are allowed to endorse certain actions, which are sent to the full city council for final approval.
Ward 12 Co. Elizabeth Peloza and Ward 13 Coun. David Ferreira spoke against allowing the exemption, while fellow committee member Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson and Ward 5 Coun. Jerry Pribil encouraged colleagues to support Reptilia’s request.
A motion by Ferreira to support the committee taking no action on the matter failed, and Stevenson moved a motion to support exempting Reptilia from the animal control bylaws. Stevenson’s proposal was written by Ward 10 Count. Paul van Meerbergen, who was not allowed to introduce the motion himself because he was not on the CAPS committee.
Ferreira eventually gained the support of his allies when he put forth an amendment to require city staff to attach a report to the bylaw waiver that would explore the implications of such a waiver as well as other options available to the council.
Committee members voted 4-1 in favor of supporting the amended resolution, with Ferreira, Peloza, Prebil and Ward 7 Coun. Corinne Rahman all voted yes. Stevenson, who told aides, “It sounds quite different from my proposal that I put forward,” was the lone opponent, while Mayor Josh Morgan, the committee’s sixth member, was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
This means the draft bye clause waiver will be presented to the CAPS committee during a future meeting in January, along with a staff report to detail what it means.
The move will need final approval from the full City Council when the group meets on Dec. 13.
— With files from Global’s Jacqueline Lebel.
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