Press release – For immediate release
Montréal, October 25 2022 – This afternoon, the Court of Appeal rendered its decision on the application for leave to appeal in the Michel-Chartrand Park deer case.
After an initial setback before the Superior Court, which refused to order the suspension of the deer cull planned this fall by the City of Longueuil, the Montreal SPCA, which is acting as an intervener in the case, quickly filed an application for leave to appeal, considering that the Superior Court had made several errors in its analysis. The application for permission to appeal was heard on October 19 by the Quebec Court of Appeal.
In his decision, the Honourable Justice Stephen W. Hamilton of the Quebec Court of Appeal recognized “that the situation is exceptional and that it is in the best interests of justice that leave to appeal be granted” (SPCA translation). The appeal will be heard on November 25th, 2022 at 9:30am in room Pierre-Basile-Mignault of the Court of Appeal in Montreal.
“Our relationship to animals has evolved considerably in recent years,” said Sophie Gaillard, Acting Executive Director and Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal Affairs at the Montreal SPCA. “Resorting by default to killing wild animals, simply because they are considered “nuisances”, is no longer considered socially acceptable today, particularly given that when we look at what is being done elsewhere, we see that responsible, ethical and innovative wildlife management that is science-based and supported by expert opinion, is indeed possible. It is crucial for Quebec to develop expertise in this type of approach.”
The Montreal SPCA is represented in this case by Marie-Claude St-Amant, a partner at Melançon Marceau Grenier Cohen, LLP, who also chairs the SPCA’s board of directors.
*SPCA translation
For additional information in the lawsuit, visit:
- The SPCA will appeal the decision
- Small Victory for Deer in Michel-Chartrand Park: The Superior Court Prohibits the City of Longueuil From Proceeding With a Cull Until the Application Is Heard
- Despite Its Undertakings, the City of Longueuil Intends To Move Forward With a Lethal Operation
- Longueuil Deer Cull Suspended
- Legal Challenge to Longueuil Deer Cull: The Montreal SPCA Seeks to Intervene in the Case
- Longueuil Deer: What If There Were a Better Approach?
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Source: Montreal SPCA
Media contact: Anita Kapuscinska, Senior Consultant, Corporate Development and Media Relations, Montreal SPCA, 514-656-2760, anitak@spca.com.
About the Montreal SPCA – Founded in 1869, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (now known simply as the Montreal SPCA) was the first animal-welfare organization in Canada. Today, the Montreal SPCA is the largest animal protection organization in Quebec, speaking on behalf of animals wherever there is ignorance, cruelty, exploitation, or neglect.
