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After the Berger Blanc: a Comparative Approach to the Utilitarian Regulation of Municipal Animal Control Jodi Lazare, Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law

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After the Berger Blanc: a Comparative Approach to the Utilitarian Regulation of Municipal Animal Control Jodi Lazare, Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law From the SelectedWorks of Jodi Lazare 2013 After the Berger Blanc: A Comparative Approach to the Utilitarian Regulation of Municipal Animal Control Jodi Lazare, Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law Available at: https://works.bepress.com/jodi-lazare/2/ After the Berger Blanc: A Comparative Approach to the Utilitarian Regulation of Municipal Animal Control JODI LAZARE* ABSTRACT REJSUME In April 2011, Radio-Canada En avril 2011, Radio-Canada aired an investigative report diffusait une enqu~te exposing the cruel treatment exposant le traitement cruel of domestic animals by des animauxdomestiques par workers at one of Montreal's des travailleursdans une des largest animal shelters.A plus grosses fourri&es e private business, the Berger Montrdal: une compagnie Blanc held the majority of privde, le BergerBlanc, municipal contractsfor ddtenant la majoritg des animal control services contrats de services throughout Montreal. animaliersdans la ville. Followingthe widely-watched A la suite de la popularitgdu exposg, the regulation of reportage,la rdglementation domestic animal welfare rose du bien-6tre des animaux to the top of the agenda both domestiques s'gleva en tate de at Montreal's City Hall and l"ordre dujour de l'h6tel de Quebec's NationalAssembly, ville de Montreal, ainsi que as citizens demanded a de lAssemblge nationale response to the jarringimages du Qudbec, pendant que of cruelty and neglect. The les citoyens exigeaient province responded,adopting une rdponse aux images a regulationto strengthen the stupgfiantes de cruautg et de legal protection of dogs and ndgligence. Le gouvernement * Law Clerk to Justice Michael J. Moldaver, Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa; B.A., LL.L., JD, LL.M. All work on this paper was completed by the author prior to the commencement of her clerkship. The views expressed are those of the author alone. (2013) 43 R.G.D. 131-171 Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3034856 Revue générale de droit (2013) 43 R. G.D. 131-171 cats under Quebec's Animal provincial répondit en Health Protection Act- adoptant un règlement pour a regulationwhich has been renforcer la protection criticized as ineffective and juridique des chiens et des inadequateby animal welfare chats en vertu de la Loi sur la groups throughout the protection sanitaire des province. Similarly, animaux - un règlement Montreal's City Hall critiqué pour son inefficacité announced steps to launch a et son insuffisance par des municipal animal control groupespromouvant le service. And yet, progress is bien-être des animaux slow and many Montreal partout au Québec. De la boroughs continue to renew même façon, la Ville de their contracts with the Montréal annonça des BergerBlanc. This paper will mesures pour établir un review the theoretical, service municipal de contrôle political and legal context animalier.Or, les progrès surroundingthe issue of sont lents et plusieurs domestic animals,and arrondissementscontinuent à employ an animal welfarist renouveler leurs contrats avec (utilitarian)approach to le Berger Blanc. Cet article examine the three traditional étudiera le contexte théorique, municipal animal control politique et juridique service models, namely the entourant la question des private for-profit model, the animaux domestiques, et fera private non-profit model and appel à une approchefondée the public model. In doing so, sur le bien-être animalier the paper will suggest that (utilitaire)pour examiner les despite the municipal trois modèles traditionnelsdu government's statedfinancial contrôle animaliermunicipal, priorities,the only solution to à savoir,le modèle privé à but Montreal's domestic animal lucratif,le modèle privé à situation-onewhich but non lucratifet le modèle properly takes the equal public. Ce faisant, l'article interests of domestic animals suggérera que, malgré les into account-lies in a prioritésfinancières déclarées publicly-funded, municipally- par le gouvernement run animal services municipal, la seule solution à department, similar to the la problématique des model currently employed by animaux domestiques à the City of Calgary. Montréal - une solution qui Electronic copy available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3034856 LAZARE A Utilitarian Approach to Municipal Animal Control 133 prend addquatement en compte les int&r~ts 6gaux des animaux domestiques - se trouve dans un service animalierdirigg par la ville et financg par les fonds publics, ressemblantau module adoptg par la Ville de Calgary. Key-words : Animal law, Mots-cl6s: Droit animal, animal welfare, animal bien-6tre animalier,contr6le control, cruelty to animals, animal,cruautg envers les municipal law, municipal animaux, droit municipal, regulation. rdglementation municipale. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................ 134 1. The Anim al W elfare Approach ...................................................... 136 2. The Context: The Politics of Municipal Animal Law .................. 138 2.1 Political Context .................................................................. 138 2.1.1 "M auvais Berger. ................................................... 138 2.1.2 The Public and Political Response ........................ 144 2.2 Legal C ontext ...................................................................... 148 2.2.1 The Criminal Code ................................................ 148 2.2.2 Quebec's Animal Health ProtectionAct ................ 152 3. Anim al Control M odels .................................................................. 153 3.1 Private For Profit-The Berger Blanc ............................... 154 3.2 Private Non-Profit-The SPCA .......................................... 156 3.3 Public-The Calgary Model ................................................ 160 4. Utilitarianism Applied: Why Montreal Needs a Public Animal Control Service ............................................................................... 165 C onclusion .............................................................................................. 170 Revue generale de droit (2013) 43 R.G.D. 131-171 It is the height of human arrogance to sacrifice the welfare of existing animals because the political system will not give 1 complete and immediate satisfaction. INTRODUCTION In April 2011, Radio-Canada aired an investigative report exposing the cruel treatment of companion animals by workers at one of Montreal's largest animal shelters.2 A pri- vate company, the Berger Blanc, held the majority of munic- ipal contracts for animal control throughout Montreal. At the time of the report, more than half of Montreal's 19 boroughs had contracts with the Berger Blanc for their animal control services. 3 This is a meaningful role in a city where recent esti- mates place the number of pets who die in shelters at approx- imately 400 per day, with the Berger Blanc taking in about 30,000 abandoned, stray and unwanted pets per year.4 In the aftermath of the widely-watched expos6, the regulation of domestic animal welfare rose to the top of the agenda both at Montreal's City Hall and Quebec's National Assembly, as citizens and media organizations alike demanded a political response to the jarring images of cruelty and neglect. Mon- treal's City Hall responded announcing steps to launch a municipal animal control service.5 And yet, progress is slow. 1. David FAVRE, "Integrating Animal Interests Into Our Legal System," (2004) 10 Animal L. 87, 90. 2. Josde DUPuIs (journalist) and Pier GAGN9 (producer), "Le Mauvais Berger," Enqute, Radio-Canada (April 21, 2011), online: <http://www.radio- canada.ca/emissions/enquete/2010-2011/Reportage.asp?idDoc=148572> (con- sulted November 19, 2012) ["Mauvais Berger"]. 3. CBC News, "Montreal Animal Shelter Practices Raise Alarm," CBC News Montreal (April 20, 2011), online: <http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/ 2011/0420/montreal-animal-pound-euthanasia.html> (consulted November 19, 2012). 4. Henry AUBIN, "City's Animal-Care Plan Still Needs Some Work: Ste- rilization Costs Are Central to Controlling Montreal's Pet Population," The Gazette (December 19, 2011), online: <http://www.montrealgazette.com> (consulted No- vember 19, 2012). 5. Max HARROLD, "City to Toughen Animal Control System: Plan Could Make Licences, Sterilization Mandatory," The Gazette (December 15, 2011), online: <http:l www.montrealgazette.com> (consulted November 19, 2012) ["City to Toughen Animal Control"]; Max HARROLD, "Super-Pound Seen as Solution to Pet Problem: Animal Rights Advocates Like Idea; Centralized Facility Would Offer Affordable Sterilization, Microchip IDs, Licences," The Gazette (December 16, 2011), online: <http:// www.montrealgazette.com> (consulted November 19, 2012) ["Super-Pound"]. LAZARE A Utilitarian Approach to Municipal Animal Control In the meantime, many Montreal boroughs continue to renew their contracts with the Berger Blanc. This paper will begin with a short explanation of its ana- lytical approach, that of animal welfare. This brief descrip- tion of the animal welfare framework should provide some theoretical context to readers unfamiliar with animal law theory. Following this, the paper will canvass the current political and legislative framework for the regulation of animal control in Quebec, and will employ an animal welfare approach to examine the three traditional municipal animal control models. First, the private for-profit model, currently used through contracts with the Berger
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