Momentum is growing for an end to Ontario’s 2005 pit bull ban with the NDP and Green party questioning the legislation passed by a previous Liberal government after a Toronto man was mauled by two such dogs, prompting police to fire 16 bullets into them. Targeting the handful of breeds popularly referred to as pit bulls does not help deal with dangerous dogs in general, the heads of both parties said Monday as Premier Doug Ford’s government rethinks the Dog Owner’s Liability Act.“We’ve said all along that it didn’t really do what it was supposed to do and it was not an effective way of dealing with dangerous dogs,” New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath told reporters.The latest pushback against the ban is coming from Progressive Conservative MPPs David Piccini and Rick Nicholls, who have been collaborating on a private members’ bill to repeal the ban after Piccini began circulating a petition over the summer.“We’re looking at all options with the Dog Owner’s Liability Act and the breed-specific language,” said Piccini (Northumberland—Peterborough South), suggesting stricter penalties for negligent dog owners, animal abuse and neglect should be considered, along with more public education on how to approach dogs.Green Leader Mike Schreiner said the prohibition on pit bulls “discriminates against certain dog breeds in the face of scientific evidence.”“Breed-specific laws are simply not as effective at reducing the incidence of bites and they result in the unnecessary euthanasia of hundreds of dogs and puppies,” he added in a statement. Ontario’s ban requires owners to muzzle, leash and sterilize their pit bulls and outlawed the breeding and import of them in a bid to eradicate them from the province. Owners can face fines of up to $10,000 or six months in jail for not complying.The law followed several highly publicized pit bull attacks in Toronto. A 2014 inves ...
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