STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER
CLUB OF CANADA
Founded 1965
Nemo me impune lacessit
Breed Specific Legislation
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There is Breed Specific Legislation in Canada's largest province, Ontario. Other cities and municipalities in other provinces may have by-laws specific to "pit bulls", which MAY include Staffordshire Bull Terriers. If you are relocating within Canada or moving to Canada, we strongly recommend reviewing the legislation/by-laws regarding "dangerous dogs" in the area you plan to settle in, to ensure the safety of your Stafford.
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it is important to recognize that the Stafford is often named as a "pit bull type" dog in Breed Specific Legislation, therefore purebred Staffords are not excluded and are under the jurisdiction of the legislation.
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There is a wide range of information, research, and opinions on Breed Specific Legislation. It is extremely important to verify the sources of any research and the credentials of so-called "experts". This site will attempt to present essential and timely information about BSL in Canada.
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CURRENT LEGISLATION IN ONTARIO
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The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is banned in the province of Ontario. It is illegal to own or breed a Stafford in Ontario. Please see the Dog Owners' Liability Act of Ontario (DOLA) here:
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90d16
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Attorney General of Ontario website information about DOLA:
https://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/about/pubs/dola-pubsfty/dola-pubsfty.php
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OTHER CANADIAN PROVINCES
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The most up-to-date and complete source of information about BSL in Canada is the JUSTICE FOR BULLIES website: https://justice-for-bullies.myshopify.com/.
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ONTARIO BSL NEWS/UPDATES
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SEPTEMBER 2021
Bill 147 is officially dead! When Premier Doug Ford prorogued parliament on September 3rd, all bills on the table died. This included our Bill 147 to remove the BSL portion from the Dog Owners Liability Act. This does not mean that we have given up, oh no, we are just changing tactics.
MPP Rick Nicholls, who introduced Bill 147 with David Piccini, is working hard behind the scenes to get a tri-party bill introduced. It will have much the same wording, but will have more power behind it as the Green Party of Ontario and the NDP stand behind the repeal of BSL and for the creation of humane breed neutral law. Most of the Conservative Party are behind it too. We hope that Premier Ford will work harder to get it passed before the election next year. Hopefully,the new bill will be introduced as soon as Parliament is opened and reach Committee stage within a month.
Mark OCTOBER 23RD on your calendars Ontario people!
There will be a rally against BSL at Queens Park from 10 to 1 pm. This coincides with other events across North America - not only across Canada, but in the USA too. MPP Rick Nicholls will be supporting us at Queens Park, so I urge those who can to come and support us. This may be the last time we can get out and protest before the change of Govt. Please come and join us to show Doug Ford that we mean business and will not go away!
Please do not bring your dogs to this rally. For safety sake.
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Candy Beauchamp
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2019
BSL UPDATE: News from Queen's Park
Bill 147, Public Safety related to Dogs Statute Amendment Act, 2019 repealing BSL has been tabled in the Ontario Legislature.
Our Ontario Director, Candy Beauchamp attended the Media Conference at the Toronto Humane Society and the Ontario Legislature session where the Bill was introduced.
Please see a sample letter you can use to write to politicians. We need as many people as possible to embark on this letter writing campaign. We have some people on our side, but we need people to get active and remind them that proper legislation needs to be in place that makes all dog owners responsible regardless of breed.
Your name
Address
Contact info
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Dear (insert politician name here)
I am writing to express concern regarding the Dog Owners Liability Act. On March 1, 2005, Bill 132 was passed by the Legislative Assembly as the
Public Safety Related to Dogs Statute Law Amendment Act 2005.
Public hearings were held in 2004 (Bill 132)and again in 2012 (Bill 16). All experts testified against enacting breed specific legislation. World wide, where such legislation has been introduced dog bites have not decreased. What has worked is education combined with putting the onus on the owner not the breed. In 2012 in Ontario, an amendment to remove the breed specific portion passed second reading. It died whenthe Liberals brought the session of parliament to an end.
We are asking the current government to re-introduce legislation to remove the breed specific part of DOLA. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of Canada fully supported MPP HIllierʼs efforts in his attempts to remove this breed specific section. It will fully support, in every way, the government in its proposal to remove this section. Just like people, dogs should not be legislated against by their appearance, but by their acts.
Sincerely Yours,
your name
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