Agenda Item 15 January 20, 2017 67 Lunau Lane Thornhill, ON Office of the Clerk Town of Richmond Hill 225 East Beaver Creek Road Richmond Hill Ontario Subject: To amend Chapter 826(Business Licensing) of the Town of Richmond Hill Municipal Code Please find attached copy of email dated 13 November 2016 for distribution to Mayor Dave Barrow, Regional and Local Councillor Vito Spatafora Regional and Local Councillor Breda Hogg, Ward One Councillor Greg Beros, Ward Two Councillor Tom Muench, Ward Three Counciullor Castro Lui, Ward Four Councillor David West, Ward Five Councillor Karen Cilevitz, and Ward Six Councillor Godwin Chan. Please list Allan A. Rubin to make a deputation date of meeting January 23, 2017 Report Number SRPRS.17.004 as per above noted Subject. Kindest regards, Allan A. Rubin, Business Executive 243
13 November 2016 Mayor Dave Barrow Town of Richmond Hill COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING June 21 2016 SRPRS.16.120 Planning and Regulatory Services Regulatory Services Division Subject: Sales Of Dogs And Cats In Pet Stores Dear Mr. Mayor: With regard to a proposed by-law to prohibit the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores a) That dogs and cats sold by pet stores located within the Town of Richmond Hill be sourced from registered humane societies, municipal, animal shelters,registered shelters,and registered rescues b) That a 6 month grace period be allowed for pet stores to sell the dogs and cats already on their premises c) That staff be directed to bring forward an appropriate implementing bylaw for Council's approval by October 2016. The above mentioned is not only detrimental to private sector business in the Town of Richmond Hill registered in the Province of Ontario but financially detrimental to cash flow generated through sales applicable to federal, provincial and municipal taxation should the proposed by-law be adopted will considerably reduce the sales as per the following:-. 1. The loss revenue of puppy and kitten sales from registered breeders 2. The loss of retail sales for puppies and ki~ens sold in pet stores in the Town of Richmond Hill. 3. The loss of manufactured goods required for dogs and cats 244
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~!\~~ s~~ www.torontohumanesodety.com January 20, 2017 Mayor Dave Barrow and Councillors Committee of the Whole Town of Richmond Hill Main Municipal Offices Council Chambers 225 East Beaver Creek Road, 1st Floor Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 3P4 Via email- clerks@richmondhill.ca Gloria.collier@richmondhill.ca Dear Mayor Barrow and Councillors, Re: Committee of the Whole Meeting-January 23, 2017 To Amend Chapter 826 (Business Licensing) of the Town of Richmond Hill Municipal Code pertaining to the acquisition, keeping and sale of animals in pet stores We greatly appreciate Richmond Hill's intent to restrict the sale of animals in pet stores. Richmond Hill joins an increasing number of cities in Canada, including Toronto, to take action that will help reduce the sale of what are often "mill" animals, bred and raised in substandard conditions. Your decision will have a significant impact on the thousands of animals that are surrendered to shelters and rescue organizations each year by strengthening standards of animal care and ensuring that more pets find homes. May we suggest that the Committee consider extending the acquisition area for pets beyond Richmond Hill as this would permit more animals, especially dogs, to find homes? Thank you for your leadership on behalf of the animals. Yours truly, Jacques Messier Chief Executive Officer Toronto Humane Society JM/ct 11 River Street 1 Toronto. Ontario 1 M5A 4C2 1 416.392.2273 1 Fox: 416.392.9978 www. torontohumanesoc iety.com 247
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From: Sent: To: Subject: Attachments: Elif Saturday, January 21, 2017 7:24 PM Clerks Richmondhill; Office-Mayor Richmondhill; Vito Spatafora; Brenda Hogg; greg@gregberos.com; Tom Muench; Castro Liu; David West; Godwin Chan Monday January 23 meeting, regarding Pet Ban in Pet Stores letter to city (1).odt To: Richmond Hill clerk,mayor and Council Members Re: Meeting January 23, 2017, Pet store pet sale ban Please make the following a part of the agenda for Monday's meeting. Same letter is also attached. I believe, over the past meetings, what needs to be said has already been said about the ban of puppy, kitten, and rabbit sales in Pet stores. On multiple occasions, I wrote to you, talked to you, gave you pages and pages of information to try and tell you that this ban is not only unnecessary but also, if passed, will only encourage the sale of puppies from puppy mills and backyard breeders who are completely unregulated. This will also have no impact on the number of rescued puppies and kittens in the town of Richmond Hill. By passing this by-law, citizens of our Town will have far fewer options to buy healthy and happy animals from reliable pet stores. Even the committee of the whole has recognized on many occasions that our pet store, Pet's Friend, sells perfectly healthy puppies. This ban is forcing people to go to far lower quality breeders and puppy mills in search of their next family pet. Internet sales and even worse, puppy mills using home sellers, are now taking control of this market where not even the OSPCA can regulate them. These "breeders" meet potential customers in homes or out on the. street to sell these animals. When the animals are si~k or dead within days, the phone numbers to reach them are no longer in service and the owner may be left with a hefty vet bill or worse. Unlike a Pet Store, these sources are far away from public eye and authority control. By passing this law, many of you are under the incorrect assumption that you have done something great for the rescue animals in our town when in actuality you are only shutting down local and legal businesses. I am convinced that some of you are only voting 'yes' on this issue because of the lack of reliable information and valid statistics coming from the town itself. I took the opportunity to check all the dogs available at Ontario SPCA adoption Centres and found 8 large breed dogs available in our Province. These are all adult large breed dogs, not puppies. People should have the right and the freedom of adopting OR purchasing a puppy OR dog. The Toronto Humane Society has 6 large breed adult dogs, and one small breed to re-home. The Vaughan shelter currently has no dogs for adoption. Keep in mind none of these even fall within the boundaries of Richmond Hill, where council proposes pet stores must get their puppies from. Currently in the town of Richmond Hill there are roughly 7 large breed dogs available for adoption through an adoption agency that is not even based in Richmond hill. Most of these adoption centres have no location, no phone number, and only can be contacted regarding individual dogs via email. This makes the idea in the proposed ban a completely unsustainable and illogical method for pet stores to acquire their animals. A rescue organization in King City, brings in most their rescue dogs from overseas as there aren't enough dogs to rescue in Ontario. I applaud them to help homeless dogs overseas. On the other hand, Kijiji has over 3000 ads today alone for puppies and dogs for sale. Very few of these are rescues. A handful of these puppies are 249
from Registered Breeders while the majority of them are backyard breeders, brokers, and home sellers selling on behalf of brokers. So, I ask, what is the council doing to resolve this issue? My store has been in businesses for 12 years in Richmond Hill, serving the need~ of the people of Richmond Hill and the GTA. We matched hundreds of families with the right puppy and kitten, and also have referred many families to rescues and adoption centres across the province. We have taken in many homeless kittens, vaccinated and de-wormed them, and found them homes for them for a very small fee. We have also adopted out hundreds of Rabbits and Guinea Pigs for free. The only condition we have is that the animal go home to a loving and caring environment. These animals would otherwise end up outside or at a rescue. By passing this you are pushing legitimate businesses underground. When people sell from home, there is no control, no taxes paid, no employees hired. Puppy mills are not suffering at all while the effect of this by-law is detrimental to local reliable businesses and the people of this town. While I completely support the towns decision t.o make an effort at reducing the number of mistreated and abused animals in our town, this is not the way to do so. I hope that you will reconsider your vote on Monday January 23 and show that you care for the treatment of animals in our town and do not show support for puppy mills and illegitimate businesses. ElifYigit Owner of Pet's Friend. 250