5.             ANIMAL CONTROL TRIBUNAL – ADDITIONAL APPOINTMENT

 

TRIBUNAL DE contrôle DES animaUX – NOMINATION SUPPLÉMENTAIRE

 

 

 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

That Council approve that the relevant provisions of the Animal Care and Control By-law 2003-77 be amended to designate, effective December 1, 2007, the Director, Building Code Services Branch, as an alternate to serve as the Animal Control Tribunal to hear appeals to muzzle orders issued pursuant to the by-law.

 

 

Recommandation du comité

Que le Comité approuve la modification des dispositions pertinentes du Règlement 2003-77 sur le soin et le contrôle des animaux afin de désigner, à partir du 1er décembre 2007, le directeur des Services du code du bâtiment comme suppléant pour faire office de tribunal de contrôle des animaux en vue de l’audition des appels relatifs aux ordonnances de port de la muselière délivrées conformément au règlement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOCUMENTATION

 

1.                  Deputy City Manager, Community and Protective Services report dated 2 November 2007 (ACS2007-CPS-BYL-0050).

 

Report to/Rapport au :

 

Community and Protective Services Committee

Comité des services communautaires et de protection

 

and Council / et au Conseil

 

2 November 2007 / le 2 novembre 2007

 

Submitted by/Soumis par : Steve Kanellakos, Deputy City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint,

Community and Protective Services/Services communautaires et de protection

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Susan Jones, Director/Directrice

By-law and Regulatory Services/Services des règlements municipaux

(613) 580-2424 x25536, susan.jones@ottawa.ca

 

City Wide/à l'échelle de la Ville

Ref N°: ACS2007-CPS-BYL-0050

 

 

SUBJECT:

ANIMAL CONTROL TRIBUNAL – ADDITIONAL APPOINTMENT

 

 

OBJET :

TRIBUNAL DE contrôle DES animaUX – NOMINATION SUPPLÉMENTAIRE

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That the Community and Protective Services Committee recommend to Council that the relevant provisions of the Animal Care and Control By-law 2003-77 be amended to designate, effective December 1, 2007, the Director, Building Code Services Branch, as an alternate to serve as the Animal Control Tribunal to hear appeals to muzzle orders issued pursuant to the by-law.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité des services communautaires et de protection recommande au Conseil  que les dispositions pertinentes du Règlement 2003-77 sur le soin et le contrôle des animaux soient modifiées de façon à désigner, avec effet au 1er décembre 2007, le directeur des Services du code du bâtiment comme suppléant pour faire office de tribunal de contrôle des animaux en vue de l’audition des appels relatifs aux ordonnances de port de la muselière délivrées conformément au règlement.

 

 

 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

 

The License Committee is a quasi-judicial body that conducts oral hearings in accordance with the Statutory Powers Procedures Act and had, post-amalgamation, also served as the Animal Control Tribunal.  At its meeting of December 6, 2006, Council, as part of its 2006-2010 governance review, approved the delegation of the authority to act as the Tribunal to the Director of By-law and Regulatory Services, in line with the current practice in the City of Toronto and a number of other municipalities.  This transfer of authority streamlined the process of appeals for muzzle/leash orders and reduced the workload of the Committee.

 

It would be prudent to appoint an alternate to serve as the Animal Control Tribunal given challenges associated with scheduling hearings and to address issues associated with unavailability due to illness, incapacitation, etc.  It is therefore proposed that the Director of Building Code Services Branch be appointed as the alternate.

 

RÉSUMÉ

 

Le Comité des permis est un organisme quasi judiciaire qui tient des audiences orales conformément à la Loi sur l’exercice des compétences légales et qui a aussi fait office de tribunal de contrôle des animaux après la fusion. À sa réunion du 6 décembre 2006, le Conseil a, dans le cadre de son examen de la structure de gestion publique pour la période 2006-2010, approuvé la délégation des pouvoirs du tribunal de contrôle des animaux au directeur des Services des règlements municipaux, comme l’ont fait la Ville de Toronto et un certain nombre d’autres municipalités. Ce transfert de pouvoirs a permis de simplifier la procédure d’appel concernant les ordonnances de port de la muselière ou de la laisse et de réduire le volume de travail du Comité.

 

Il serait prudent de nommer un suppléant pour faire office de tribunal de contrôle des animaux, étant donné les difficultés inhérentes à l’établissement du calendrier des audiences et comme moyen de résoudre les cas de non-disponibilité pour cause de maladie, d’incapacité, etc. Il est par conséquent proposé de nommer le directeur des Services du code du bâtiment comme suppléant.

 

BACKGROUND

 

The City had, post-amalgamation, established a three-member sub-committee of the then Emergency and Protective Services Committee of Council, known as the License Committee, to serve as a quasi-judicial body tasked with imposing suspensions or revocations of business licenses.  It also served as the Animal Control Tribunal wherein it heard submissions from dog owners who wished to appeal the muzzle/leashing orders imposed by By-law Officers pursuant to the Animal Care and Control By-law 2003-77.

 

At its meeting of December 6, 2006, Council, as part of its 2006-2010 governance review, delegated to the Director of By-law and Regulatory Services the authority to act as the Tribunal for purposes of hearing appeals and rendering decisions on the muzzling/leashing orders.  The delegation of authority was on the basis that the Director is not directly involved with dog bite/attack investigations and has no prior knowledge of the incidents, it therefore being appropriate for her/him to render decisions on appeals of this nature.  The intent of the delegation was to streamline the process for appeals to muzzling/leashing orders and reduce the workload of the Committee.  The effective date of delegated authority was February 1, 2007.  This appeal structure and process are practiced in other Ontario municipalities, such as the City of Toronto, with a high level of efficacy.

 

DISCUSSION

 

Since the implementation of the aforementioned delegated authority, the process of oral hearings, in accordance with the Statutory Powers Procedure Act, whereby due process prevails and fair hearings are conducted, has continued, with the Director of By-law and Regulatory Services presiding as Chair of the Tribunal.

 

Given however that only one individual has been appointed to serve as the Tribunal and in light of challenges associated with scheduling hearings, it would be prudent to appoint an alternate to serve in this capacity.  An alternate would also address issues such as the unavailability of the current Chair due to illness, incapacitation, etc.  It is proposed therefore that the Director of Building Code Services Branch be appointed as the alternate given that position’s familiarity with the regulatory framework and process, and its standing as an Official of the City.         

 

CONSULTATION

 

Given the administrative nature of the recommendation, public consultation is unnecessary and was not undertaken.

 

The current incumbent in the position of Director of Building Code Services Branch concurs with the recommendation.

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no direct financial implications associated with the recommendation.

 

CITY STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

 

The recommendation has no direct impact on the City Strategic Directions.

 

DISPOSITION

 

Legal Services Branch, in consultation with the By-law and Regulatory Services Branch to process the by-law to Council for enactment