OPEN LETTER TO YASIR NAQVI, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services

To:  Minister of Community Safety and Corrections;

March 23, 2016.

Yasir Naqvi;

You recently received thousands of letters and emails as the Minister in charge of the portfolio who can help Ontario dogs.

Over the last decade you received a minimum of a hundred thousand plus letters and documented emails asking your government to remove breed specific language in the Dog Owners Liability Act (DOLA) and help Ontario dogs.

Your government has seen numerous protests at Queens Park and received countless petitions and pleas over the past decade demanding an end to the discriminatory breed ban only Liberals voted for in 2005.  There has been bills put forth by different parties to end the breed ban. One bill passed 2nd reading and committee meetings but was not called for 3rd reading and lost months later due to prorogation.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-BexqKh900

Recently one newer petition with over 75,000 signatures again requested your government help Ontario dogs. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/705/334/229/do-not-euthanize-the-31-dogs-seized-from-alleged-fighting-ring-in-chatam-ontario/

Another recent petition from Change.org entitled "Save The Chatham Dogs Seized From The OSPCA" is closing in on 40,000 signatures and every signature generated an email to the Premier, executives at the OSPCA and your office within the last month asking you, the Premier and the OSPCA to help Ontario dogs so we KNOW you are hearing us.
https://www.change.org/p/save-the-chatham-dogs-seized-by-ospca

The breed ban has NOT decreased overall dog bites and has NOT improved public safety.  You are aware of those facts but still your government attempts to deceive the public by continuing to justify this ban?   You fully understand people and dogs are being unfairly stereotyped and profiled and this Minister is NOT acceptable.
http://globalnews.ca/news/2527882/torontos-pit-bulls-are-almost-gone-so-why-are-there-more-dog-bites-than-ever/

Your government ignored expert testimony against the breed ban when former Attorney General Michael Bryant decided he wanted to ban certain dogs and ignored the 32 recommendations made from the Courtney Trempe inquest.
http://www.dlcc.ca/public/about-the-dlcc/courtney-trempe/
http://www.dogwatch.net/bill132.pdf

The now disgraced former attorney general Bryant (when he killed a man in a road rage incident) has admitted to being a active alcoholic during the time of the ban and stated the ban was 50% ego. Thus this blatantly discriminating legislation should be removed and instead the Calgary model, which experts advised your government to use, should be put in its place.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAUo_ryYxQo

Yasir you have a rescue dog.  The type of dog you have is a dog type involved in the last four documented fatal dog attacks in Canada, and in fact been involved in more fatal dog attacks than any other type of dog in Canada.  Surely YOU must get responsible dog ownership is key to decreasing not only dog bites but also rare dog bite fatalities?  http://www.chicobandido.com/2012/03/dbrf-201202/

NOTE: If someone came into your home seized your well socialized non-offending dog because another dog who LOOKED similar had an incident, would YOU fight for your dog in court? 
How many court cases and how much money time and effort has been spent forcing innocent Ontarians to legally fight for their non-offending pets?  Surely YOU have "some" knowledge of this and hold "some" empathy for responsible Ontario dog owners who have found themselves caught in the horrific web of discrimination that is BSL.

Time and money wasted by animal services looking for certain types of dogs has NOT been effective and deflects from animal services protecting the public from truly reckless dog owners. Ontario NEEDS breed neutral legislation so irresponsible dog owners are held accountable no matter size, breed or type of dog an individual has.

 The 21 Chatham dogs OSPCA wants euthanized are VICTIMS of BSL.  The dogs did not choose to live a life of brutality. The assessments of OSPCA are questionable. The public wants the 21 dogs to be reassessed by outside third party professionals. Thousands of dollars have been donated to give these abused dogs a legal chance to be reassessed and a second chance for a decent life.  At the very least allow the dogs to go to a rescue sanctuary during the interim where they will receive tools needed for socialization and rehabilitation. Do not stand in the way of this being done.

You have said many times now there is nothing you, the Minister with portfolio, can do to help the dogs. THAT IS JUST NOT TRUE.  Under the Dog Owners Liability Act there ARE regulations that allow you to act. The sections are 20. (1) The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations respecting the control of pit bulls. 2005, c. 2, s, 1 (16) (e) designation bodies referred to as designated in this Act; The Lieutenant Governor in Council in de facto is YOU as Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODvql2SdyEU
https://www.facebook.com/Supporting.Hersheys.Bill/?fref=ts

You have also stated numerous times your government does not have legislative or regulatory authority to do anything about the OSPCA. The link below shows the press conference in 2012 for a bill your government voted down that would give oversight of the OSPCA.  Yasir was it not your government who gave a CHARITY police powers, with NO oversight, and then voted down oversight in 2012 but still YOU use no oversight for inaction to this day? Combine this mess with OSPCA being exempt from the freedom of information act and no wonder people of Ontario are up in arms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGvWzfywXlg

Minister Naqvi;  WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE for your government to acknowledge Ontario's breed specific legislation has NOT worked and punishing good dogs and responsible dog owners is NOT unacceptable? The good people of Ontario want fair, just and reasonable legislation for both themselves AND their animals.

TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW.  NO MORE EXCUSES.


Sincerely,
Fran Coughlin
Advocate for Responsible Dog Ownership
Activist Against Breed Specific Legislation


PS: BTW the form letter your government puts out year after year when pleas are made for better animal laws and to end the breed ban, has not changed in over a decade.   People are fed up with receiving the same old outdated messages again and again.

OPEN LETTER TO JOHN MILLOY

 

GOVERNMENT HOUSE LEADER

 

October 4th, 2012

 

Dear Government House Leader

 

In the last three days during legislative question and answer period you personally have accused opposition parties of promoting "guilty until proven innocent".

 

How hypocritical as THAT is exactly what you, your party members and Dalton McGuinty did to thousands and thousands of Ontario citizens when your party passed the 2005 New Ontario Dog Owners Liability Act (DOLA).  It was your party that actually legislated "reverse onus" and took away presumption of innocence.  

 

Sir do you have any idea how many responsible citizens have gone to court to save their non-offending family pets lives since 2005?  Ontario citizens automatically guilty when no crime  committed?  Yet you have spent days in legislature lamenting the possibility of same for a single person because he is a colleague of yours?

 

We know from one web site alone Queens Park Liberals have received over 223 THOUSAND emails demanding "guilty until proven innocent" be amended in DOLA by removing the breed discriminatory portions in DOLA. Still your party continues to do nothing to right that injustice?   

 

Three bills have been put forth to correct this injustice for Ontario citizens.  Bill 16 has passed 2nd reading AND committee meetings and is currently waiting for you to call it forth yet you cry out for a single person to not be assumed guilty?  You as our government house leader dare to ignore the call demanding ALL citizens be presumed innocent and NOT automatically "guilty" under current Ontario law? 

 

Under the freedom of information act in 2007 it was found ONE Ontarian EVERY 3 days received a provincial offence for owning an assumed "illegal dog".  The crime being what the family pet looked like? These citizens also could lose professional status and their ability to earn an income as they are currently guilty in law. Going to court their only recourse to prove innocence.

 

Citizenship should never be a two-tier system. The justice system is for all people. This can end for many when you call Bill 16 for 3rd reading. Let legislative democracy occur and give Canadian Charter Rights back to THOUSANDS of non-offending Ontario citizens.

 

Do your job as government house leader for all citizens of Ontario.  

 

Call Bill 16 forth for 3rd reading now.   

 

Sincerely,

Fran Coughlin

Advocate for Responsible Dog Ownership

Activist Against Breed Specific Legislation

Co-Founder of Hersheys Anti-BSL Group

http://www.supporthersheysbill.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 



 





 

 

Why Ontario Elections Matter

Politicans make legislation and Ontario courts have deemed The Legislature does not made mistakes". Those are the words from a 2011 Ontario Appeals Court hearing. The final judgement continued; "ANYTHING enacted by legislature must be enforced however harsh or absurd or contrary to common sense". Maybe the prelude to the actual judgement was written because one of the three judges made this statement during the proceedings,"the law does not have to be wise".

Those words and the words from the judgement should strike abject fear and dismay in the hearts and minds of Ontarians if they really think about what it takes to get there and the cost incurred to be heard in the highest court of Ontario. If not, then I will repeat part of the judgement again. "Legislature must be enforced however harsh, or absurd or contrary to common sense".

Are YOU awake yet? Have you questioned what criteria was this legislation based on due to such a compliance warning? Did all the political parties have a say in it? Were the public involved and really listened to? Were professional experts consulted to advise on the matter? If so, were the experts listened to? How many letters were against the legislation and were they ever mentioned?

The simple and short answer to all the above questions is NO.

The legislation was introduced by a guy, who at the time, was a popular MPP within the Liberal party. The legislation was drawn up and ready for execution before experts could discuss with attorney general Michael J. Bryant, what advice they would give. (See link to Toronto Sun Article below.)

Oh, the experts were allowed to testify at the "kangaroo hearings" led by David Zimmer, but in the end, and after much of their expertise and time was freely given, none of their advice was taken. This after both media and the public had been led to believe differently, by Bryant himself during a CityTV interview. Bryant said, "you don’t ask an attorney general to be the dog expert. I want to put this in the hands of experts".

When eventually, after consistent outcry from the public and the experts, numerous petitions (one with thirty thousand names), and regular protests, asked IF the legislation would be reviewed (as NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo had put a private members bill to repeal the "specfic measures"), the Prime Minister of Ontario again delibrately deceived the press and public as to what experts had advised. Dalton McGuinty said; "we got the best advice we could and put in legislation, we think, upholds public safety".

The legislaton became law because MPP's within the Liberal party were basically told to pass it or face the back benches of caucas. It passed because a few of the power brokers (Michael Bryant; David Zimmer; Dalton McGuinty being the main ones) decided the vote should be whipped and sadly, so many Liberal MPP's, decided not to do their due diligence and went along with it, rather than lose status and perks. Every single MPP at Queens Park that day from the other elected political parties voted against the legislation. They had no say in what was occurring in the House of Commons. Sadly this is, was, and has, not been the only occurance showing a total lack of regard and respect for democracy under the current Liberal government.

(Remember the G20? The "secret law" that very quietly passed in legislature, unknown to all the other political party members, which took away Canadian Charter rights of everyday citizens called "The Public Works Protection Act"? Ah, maybe now you are starting to wake up. I hope it's not the coffee.

What was also in the legislation was a little something called "REVERSE ONUS". WHAT you say, isn't that against the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms? The answer is yes. But, under this legislation (and now some others) you are automatically guilty and must prove yourself innocent - no matter what the cost to you or your family would be. (As anyone can accuse you of something, there is a reason why the Canadian constitution has "innocent until proven guilty" in it).

If you want to know about this legislation, a study was done by a university in the United States called "Panic Policy Making; Canine Breed Bans in Canada and the US". It more than mentions Ontario's passing of the legislation and compares the decison to places where it was rejected. While the whole study is well worth reading, the part about Ontario passing it starts at around page 16 and it is frightening. The fact that discrimination and profiling is now in law is frightening. The fact that a small handful of politicans, with a hidden agenda of their own, (see Panic Policy Making) can turn Ontarians into 3rd class citizens, no matter how responsible or respectable they are, is frightening. Warrantless entry into private homes and the automatic removal of ones property is frightening. All this and more is occurring all over Ontario thanks to legislation that need not be wise or "that is contrary to common sense".

When laws are passed that make all citizens pay because of a few bad apples, Ontario is in serious peril. Banning all kinds of things and attaching huge fines on the general polulous is now becoming quite commonplace under Dalton McGuinty. The Canadian Charter has been compromised on many different levels in various areas in Ontario, not just the one I speak of here. Why this election matters isn't just about the excessive debt Ontario is now under. It's not just about skyrocking taxes and hydro rates or the incompetent and wasteful spending of billions of hard earned tax dollars. This election matters because the leader in current power does not seem to value the democracy our forefathers fought and gave their lives for, nor the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. When a leader or government does not look to, respect or inforce individual responsibilty and accountability, that leader or government becomes dangerous. It will compromise OUR individual rights and freedoms, as are "guaranteed in the Canadian Charter".

That so many thousands of innocent non offending family pets are now taken out of good homes, seized and killed based on a shoddy vague discription of what dogs look like is insane. That non criminals face penalties of six months in jail and a $10,000 dollar fine when they have raised well behaved, properly trained and socialized dogs, is insane. There is a stench coming out of "the house"; our house and this fall, on Oct 6th it needs a major cleaning job.

Where Liberals allowed a "FREE VOTE"?
http://www.advocatesfortheunderdog.com/downloads/freevote.pdf
SECRET LAW
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/828367--g20-law-gives-police-sweeping-powers-to-arrest-people
PANIC POLICY MAKING; CANINE BREEDS BANS IN CANADA AND THE US
http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/faculty/BRISBIN/Papers/2007.%20Panic%20Policy%20Making.pdf
NEW DOG OWNERS LIABILITY ACT
http://caveat.blogware.com/OntarioDOLA.pdf
TORONTO SUN ARTICLE: EXPERTS AGAINST THE BAN
http://www.advocatesfortheunderdog.com/downloads/tsun.pdf
SUGGESTED AMMENDMENTS. NONE ACCEPTED FROM OTHER PARTIES
http://www.chicobandido.com/2006/09/bill-132-amendments
ONTARIO DOG OWNERS STAND UP AGAINST BSL (video).
(Note the REAL Owners and NOT what you see in the tabloids!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkNqgqcUuGE
VIDEO below is a small segment of one protest walking from Queens Park.

Has Ontario's pit bull ban proven to be a good law?

The Toronto Sun ran a poll on April 29th, 2010 and the results are below. This was after the Toronto Humane Society made public that since Bill 132 (aka Pit Bull Ban) there has been NO decrease in dog bites or attacks. Scroll down to BREAKING NEWS! THS Study Finds Breed Specific Legislation Has Not Reduced Dog Bites.
http://www.torontohumanesociety.com/

It is TIME that Dalton McGuinty ended legalized discrimination and profiling by recinding the darconian law put in place in 2005, in spite of 43 out of 44 experts being Totally AGAINST the Ban.

Archive Poll Toronto Sun: "Has Ontario's pit bull ban proven to be a good law?
Yes
31%
No 69%
Total Votes for this Question: 3848"
NOTE: I have the the screen shot of the vote being 69% although the Sun link now shows 62%.

Is there a Difference Between Delibrate Deceit and LYING? Dalton McGuinty; "We Got The Best Advise We Could"

On Wednesday November 18th, 2009 at 9 am about 100 people stood out in the cold in front of Toronto's Queens Park building to support Cheri Di Novo's private members "Bill 222". Some came from as far away as Sarnia, London and Owen Sound.

In the press conference with Cheri was renowed lawyer Clayton Ruby and Cathy Provo from the Dog Legislation Council of Canada.

These warriors for democracy want to see an end to legalized discrimination and profiling within the Province of Ontario. They want to maintain "innocent until proven guilty" and the removal of"reverse onus" or "guilty and must prove innocence". They want the freedom for Ontarians to travel freely across Canada and an end to warrantless entry; all as stated in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and last but not least; an end to killing dogs based only on looks. They truly believe that ALL people in the province of Ontario should be treated fairly and equally under law.

Cheri Di Novo at the press conference;

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=216645254045&oid=168292380876

What Clayton Ruby said at the press conference;
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=217149794045&oid=168292380876

Later in the day, when the press questioned Dalton McGuinty on Bill 222; removing the breed specific aspects of Ontario's Dog Owners Liability Act, McGunity said "we got the best advise we could and put in place legislation which we think upholds public safety".

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/11/19/11804711-sun.html#/news/torontoandgta/2009/11/18/pf-11797561.html

Did Dalton NOT attend or read the debates or did he delibrately deceive the facts? He worded his response carefully and with reason. His statement was a hairline away from a bold faced lie.

There were 43 "experts" against the ban and the one "expert" for the ban was "English Nannies Dogs Inc." a dog walking operation from Michael Bryants riding.

When Dalton made that statement "we got the best advise we could", not a single reporter in the swarn asked the question, "did you LISTEN to the experts because the REAL answer was a resounding NO. The "experts" were totally ignored.

Ah, the Canadian media.

While the list of real "experts", which were AGAINST the ban is very LONG, I will mention a few here.

American Veterinary Medical Association

Animal Alliance of Canada

Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers

National Companion Animal Coalition

Ontario Society For the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals

Ontario Veterinary Association

Toronto Humane Society and.... the list of REAL experts goes on and on and on.

One can read the full list of experts in the link below.

http://www.dogwatch.net/bill132.pdf

I personally believe there is a very fine line between lying and deceit and if one would delibrately"misinform" the public on this issue, it really leaves the question as to how much deceit is being prepetulated on the people of Ontario regarding finances, business contracts, etc.

God help us in Ontario, each and everyone.

Quote by Michael Bryant, one of the main architect's of Ontario's BSL.

"You don't ask a Attorney General to be the dog expert....The bottom line is it's going to be up to the experts".

REALLY?

UPDATE: Bill 222 is NOW called Private Members Bill 60 and is also known as "Hershey's Bill.