EDMONTON - An amendment has been passed at City Council which eliminates the contentious Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) from Edmonton's Animal Control Bylaw. The BSL section outlined that certain dogs were labelled "restricted" solely based on their breed.
Dogs affected by the section included mixed-breed American Staffordshire and Staffordshire bull terriers, often referred to as pit bulls.
Up until now, dog owners for those breeds had to pay higher registration fees, carry $1 million in insurance, and keep their dogs muzzled on public property and tethered on private property.
Those restrictions also apply to any dog with a history of attacking people.
Animal advocates like Bilinda Wagner of the Edmonton Humane Society have argued that the bylaw is not necessary."Every dog is an individual," she told Global News earlier this month. "It's not just an aggressive gene, it's not just a breed, it's not just a look of a dog. Every dog learns what people teach it."
On Wednesday, the Edmonton Humane Society said it is "thrilled with City Council's decision to eliminate this legislation that (it has) felt for a long time was discriminatory."
The Mayor still has to sign the new bylaw for it to go into effect. It's believed that could happen as early as next week.
You can see the bylaw report that's been passed below.
Bylaw to Amend the Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw
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