Reptilia can open whether council grants animal bylaw exemption — or not
“They have a provincial license and they can open anyways,” said Coun. Elizabeth Peloza when asked if an indoor reptile zoo needs city council’s backing to open next month.
Peloza chairs the Community and Protective Services Committee that recently debated a request by Reptilia for an exemption to London’s Animal Control Bylaw that prohibits the display of exotic species.
On Tuesday, city council will make a decision — but it may be a moot point.
Peloza opposes granting a municipal exemption, but admits Reptilia’s opening and operation is governed by provincial licensing rules.
“There’s other things that Londoners have seen the province override us on, as we are a municipality, we are under their control. The province has already granted a licence,” explained Peloza.
On Nov. 25, a representative of Reptilia suggested a similar understanding of provincial authority.
Bob Murphy, director of animal welfare said legal advice has been received that Reptilia can open under the terms of its provincial license, and said, “But we really want the blessing of the City of London and the people of London. We want their backing to go forward.”
A report prepared by civic administration in April 2022 emphasized the municipality’s limited ability to enforce its ban on exotic species, and read in part, “Once they are open and operating, enforcement of the terms and conditions of the licence will be the responsibility of the province.”
The report added, “If there are matters outside of their licence, they may be subject to the city’s animal control bylaw.”
Reptilia has almost completed its 30,000 sq. ft. facility in Westmount Mall where both native and exotic reptiles will be displayed.
It has expressed a desire to open in January.
Peloza suggested council can still send a strong message next week that London is not putting out the welcome mat to zoos.
“Others could follow, the roadside zoos, petting zoos, and full zoos to London. It opens Pandora’s Box,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Large numbers of New York City police officers begin entering Columbia University campus
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.