Montreal, June 14 2018 – This afternoon, the City of Montreal announced the adoption of a by-law prohibiting the use of horse-drawn carriages on its territory. The by-law will come into effect on December 31st, 2019. The Montreal SPCA wishes to congratulate Mayor Valérie Plante and Projet Montreal for adopting this long-awaited measure. By putting an end to this antiquated and inhumane industry, Montreal will be following the lead of several other world-class cities, such as London, Paris, Beijing and Toronto.
Carriage horses are often forced to work nine or more hours per day, seven days a week, are subject to potential collisions with vehicles, loud noises that can spook them (and also endanger humans in their vicinity), extreme temperatures and years of walking on unnaturally hard surfaces, which often causes lameness.
“The Montreal SPCA has been fighting against the use of horses downtown for nearly 150 years” said attorney Alanna Devine, Director of Animal Advocacy at the Montreal SPCA. “The end of this industry represents an important victory for our organization and demonstrates just how much our relationship with animals is evolving.”
The phase-out period would allow the City of Montreal to work with horse owners, the Montreal SPCA, and horse rescues and sanctuaries to place all the horses in homes adapted to their needs, where they will be able to live out a peaceful retirement. “The Montreal SPCA already has a solid network of foster homes and horse rescues and would be more than willing to help with proper placement of the City’s carriage horses, as we have already done for some individuals in the past,” said Elise Desaulniers, Executive Director of the Montreal SPCA. “We hope to have the opportunity to work with the city and rescue groups to place these horses with loving and attentive caretakers.”
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Media contact: Anita Kapuscinska, Montreal SPCA, 514-656-2760, or anitak@spca.com.
About the Montreal SPCA
Founded in Montreal in 1869, we were the first animal-welfare society in Canada and our mission is to:
- protect animals from neglect, abuse and exploitation
- represent their interests and ensure their well-being
- raise public awareness and help develop compassion for all sentient beings
For more information about the Montreal SPCA, please visit our website at www.spca.com.
