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Province To Tighten Marine Animal Regulations, Newstalk 1010 Learns

Posted By: Katie Franzios · 10/10/2012 5:20:00 AM

The province's Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister is set to announce new measures to strengthen animal welfare on Wednesday.

Newstalk 1010 has learned these will include legislative amendments to the OSPCA Act to improve enforcement, new regulations to protect marine mammals and exploring options for licensing of aquariums.

This comes after weeks of outcry from former trainers at Marineland who allege animals suffered after being subject to horrible conditions at the park. Former Marineland Trainer Phil Demers tells Newstalk 1010 he saw animals lose their sight, fur and skin due to faulty filtration systems.

Demers says he'd like the province and Ottawa ban importing wild animals into Canada and have a proper regulatory body to oversee and recognize problems at parks. He says it should have the authority to be able to get the parks to face criminal charges if need be and be able to threaten to shut an offender down.

An OSPCA investigation into the matter continues.

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  1. proton posted on 10/10/2012 09:26 AM
    what about the province enforcing the protection of its citizens (caledonia) and the protection of private and public property (g20, marineland). seems human beings don't deserve the same security
  2. Tony Porcaro posted on 10/10/2012 04:30 PM
    This government doesn't have any kind of record which would inspire confidence in any possible changes to benefit animals in any situation: Before Meilleur was Bradley who did nothing and before Bradley was Bartollucci who also did nothing as Ministers; amendments to the OSPCA Act should start with mechanisms for transparency and accountability and OVERSIGHT of the OSPCA itself which many of us have been calling for over many years; we can keep waiting for the OSPCA report which is late as is always the case as they work hard on deflecting any responsibility from themselves and prepare their usual "propaganda package" for public consumption...not to mention their totally unacceptable CONFLICT OF INTEREST because of their association with Marineland; be prepared for a lot of lip-service and posturing with little more than "cosmetic" changes which will leave any significant controls in the hands of zoo and aquarium owners or agencies they are already affiliated with (read conflict of interest again!); enforcement (which really never existed at all) can never be improved for ANY animal issue with that "gang" of untrained and incompetent agents pretending to fulfil their mandate of protecting our animals!
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