Montreal, June 30, 2015 – Every year, the Montreal SPCA takes action to help stop pet abandonment and asks the public to support our Keeping Families Together campaign which includes opposing standard no-pet clauses in residential leases. This year, our campaign included a provincial petition, which was submitted to the National Assembly by Manon Massé, Member in the National Assembly (MNA) for the electoral district of Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques, on June 9th. The petition received overwhelming public support, with over 22,000 signatures!
Our Keeping Families Together campaign aims to prevent pet abandonment during the moving day period, specifically by looking to adopt legislative measures prohibiting landlords from including discriminatory no-pet clauses in residential leases. Lack of affordable pet-friendly housing is a large contributor to pet abandonment in Quebec.
Currently, the Civil Code of Quebec allows landlords to penalize all pet owners who are looking for affordable rental housing, regardless of how their animals actually behave. This disproportionately affects low-income families, who have more limited opportunities for housing. Faced with a similar problem, France, Belgium and Ontario ruled that clauses prohibiting animals in residential leases were unreasonable and unfair, and so they were declared null and void.
Recently, Quebec’s Minister of Agriculture, Pierre Paradis announced the tabling of Bill 54, An Act to improve the legal situation of Animals. Unfortunately, Bill 54 does not include any legislative measures, like those that currently exist in France and Ontario, which would prohibit landlords from using discriminatory no-pet clauses in residential leases. The Montreal SPCA believes it is time for Quebec to follow suit. The Montreal SPCA will continue to work tirelessly in order to amend our Civil Code to include a prohibition against the categorical use of no-pet clauses in residential leases.
No-pet clauses in residential leases are devastating, not only to the families who find themselves unable to keep their pets, but for the animals themselves. “We are currently in the middle of what we call “moving season”, in the weeks before and after July 1st, where the number of animals coming into the Montreal SPCA shelter triples from 600 to 1,600 animals per month. We know that a significant portion of these animals are abandoned because their families are unable to find affordable rental housing that permits pets”, explains Alanna Devine, Director of Animal Advocacy at the Montreal SPCA. “We believe that by bringing this issue to the attention of the National Assembly, we are taking the first important steps to making no-pet clauses in residential leases in the province of Quebec a thing of the past” said Devine.
The moving season at the Montreal SPCA is underway, and many families who are unable to find affordable pet-friendly rental housing have already found themselves in the difficult position of having to choose between their companion animal(s) and safe place to call home. Together, we can change things! By joining our Keeping Families Together campaign, you are taking action to change the law that forces thousands of pets to be abandoned in Quebec. Here’s what YOU can do:
- Please click here to ask Minister Paradis to include an amendment in the Civil Code to prohibit no pet clauses in residential leases in Bill 54
- If you are forced to move for financial or other reasons and are having difficulty finding pet-friendly housing, please send us your story by email at: stop@spca.com.
- Choose to adopt or foster from the Montreal SPCA. Our adoption counselors will be happy to help you find the right companion!
- The Montreal SPCA relies almost exclusively on contributions from the public, to care for the 15 000 animals we receive every year. You can help by making your donation today.
- Visit Appartmap to help find pet friendly rentals in our area
- Consult our tips to facilitate your search for an apartment by clicking here
Thank you to everyone who has already supported our campaign!
To learn more about the current situation regarding no-pet clauses in residential leases, see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section by clicking here.
-30-
Media contact: Anita Kapuscinska, Media Relations Coordinator, Montreal SPCA, 514-226-3932, or anitak@spca.com.
About the Montreal SPCA
Founded in Montreal in 1869, we were the first humane society in Canada and our mission is to:
- protect animals against negligence, abuse, and exploitation;
- represent their interests and ensure their well-being;
- raise public awareness and help develop compassion for all living beings.
For more information about the Montreal SPCA, please visit our website at www.spca.com.
Montreal, June 30, 2015 – Every year, the Montreal SPCA takes action to help stop pet abandonment and asks the public to support our Keeping Families Together campaign which includes opposing standard no-pet clauses in residential leases. This year, our campaign included a provincial petition, which was submitted to the National Assembly by Manon Massé, Member in the National Assembly (MNA) for the electoral district of Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques, on June 9th. The petition received overwhelming public support, with over 22,000 signatures!
Our Keeping Families Together campaign aims to prevent pet abandonment during the moving day period, specifically by looking to adopt legislative measures prohibiting landlords from including discriminatory no-pet clauses in residential leases. Lack of affordable pet-friendly housing is a large contributor to pet abandonment in Quebec.
Currently, the Civil Code of Quebec allows landlords to penalize all pet owners who are looking for affordable rental housing, regardless of how their animals actually behave. This disproportionately affects low-income families, who have more limited opportunities for housing. Faced with a similar problem, France, Belgium and Ontario ruled that clauses prohibiting animals in residential leases were unreasonable and unfair, and so they were declared null and void. The Montreal SPCA believes it is time for Quebec to follow suit.
Recently, Quebec’s Minister of Agriculture, Pierre
Paradis announced the tabling of Bill 54, An Act to improve the legal
situation of Animals. Unfortunately, Bill 54 does not include any legislative measures, like
those that currently exist
in France and Ontario, which would prohibit landlords from using discriminatory
no-pet clauses in residential leases.The Montreal SPCA will continue to work tirelessly in order to amend our Civil Code to include a prohibition against the categorical use of no-pet clauses in residential leases.
No-pet clauses in residential leases are devastating, not only to the families who find themselves unable to keep their pets, but for the animals themselves. “We are currently in the middle of what we call “moving season”, in the weeks before and after July 1st, where the number of animals coming into the Montreal SPCA shelter triples from 600 to 1,600 animals per month. We know that a significant portion of these animals are abandoned because their families are unable to find affordable rental housing that permits pets”, explains Alanna Devine, Director of Animal Advocacy at the Montreal SPCA. “We believe that by bringing this issue to the attention of the National Assembly, we are taking the first important steps to making no-pet clauses in residential leases in the province of Quebec a thing of the past” said Devine.
The moving season at the Montreal SPCA is underway, and many families who are unable to find affordable pet-friendly rental housing have already found themselves in the difficult position of having to choose between their companion animal(s) and safe place to call home. Together, we can change things! By joining our Keeping Families Together campaign, you are taking action to change the law that forces thousands of pets to be abandoned in Quebec. Here’s what YOU can do:
- If you are forced to move for financial or other reasons and are having difficulty finding pet-friendly housing, please send us your story by email at: stop@spca.com.
- Choose to adopt or foster from the Montreal SPCA. Our adoption counselors will be happy to help you find the right companion!
- The Montreal SPCA relies almost exclusively on contributions from the public, to care for the 15 000 animals we receive every year. You can help by making your donation today.
- Visit Appartmap to help find pet friendly rentals in our area
- Consult our tips to facilitate your search for an apartment by clicking here
Thank you to everyone who has already supported our campaign!
To learn more about the current situation regarding no-pet clauses in residential leases, see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section by clicking here.
-30-
Media contact: Anita Kapuscinska, Media Relations Coordinator, Montreal SPCA, 514-226-3932, or anitak@spca.com.
About the Montreal SPCA
Founded in Montreal in 1869, we were the first humane society in Canada and our mission is to:
- protect animals against negligence, abuse, and exploitation;
- represent their interests and ensure their well-being;
- raise public awareness and help develop compassion for all living beings.
For more information about the Montreal SPCA, please visit our website at www.spca.com.
