Goderich council got a delegation from municipal by-law to get a better understanding for what the department does for the town, particularly when it comes to animal control.
Municipal Law Enforcement Manager Dave Duncan informed council and staff that the main tasks that by-law enforcement has are to enforce 15 of the town’s by-laws.
This includes the Dog Owners Liability Act, Animal Control Services, supervising the crossing guard program, supervising parking at the waterfront by maintaining the meters, responding to traffic calming requests, and assist with motor vehicle collisions that happen within the Town of Goderich by providing traffic control.
Duncan says that when it comes to animal control, they are typically only trained to deal with domestic animals, such as stray pets.
The municipality only has two full-time by-law staff, who cover 100 of the 168 hours in a week.
“Municipal animal service is highly regulated. So we’re governed by the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Act, Dog Owners Liability Act, the Protection of Animal Welfare Act, the Municipal Services Act, and our [own] by-laws, and other federal and provincial legislation.”
What that means is that when a wild animal, such as a skunk, coyote, or bear wanders into the town, there isn’t much that municipal by-law can do. In order to capture an animal to then be transported out of the town, they would also need to be certified to complete that work.
They also have regulations to follow for any non-domesticated animal and how it’s handled.
“These regulations dictate what animals we can catch, and during which seasons,” says Duncan.
He also used skunks as an example for the restrictions that he and his partner have to follow.
If a skunk is caught in one of their traps, they would only be allowed to transport the animal a total distance of one kilometre from where it is caught in order to release it into the wild.
“If we catch a skunk in the middle of town, one kilometre covers… the rest of the town. And I don’t know a single person in the Town of Goderich who that’s willing to let us release the skunk on their property.”