Doggie discrimination? New LTC pet policy leaves the big dogs at the curb
Doggie discrimination? New LTC pet policy leaves the big dogs at the curb
There is praise and criticism for the London Transit Commission (LTC) following its decision to allow some pets onto city buses.
At a meeting Tuesday, the commission recommended allowing small pets, including dogs and cats, on city buses starting March 1.
“I think it’s a good step in the right direction for sure,” stated Mark Thomson as he left a London dog park with his French bulldog, Leo.
The downtown resident owns a car but often opts for public transit. He told CTV News he is thrilled to know he can soon bring Leo on the bus as long as he follows LTC requirements.
The new policy calls for small domestic animals (exotic animals remain banned) to be in crates, which must be either carried on a rider's lap or be small enough to fit under a bus seat.
The LTC is late among Ontario transit authorities to permit pets. Ottawa’s policy is nearly exact and has been in effect for four years.
Outside of Ontario, Montreal is perhaps the most lenient. The city allows all dogs on a leash on metro trains, but only during certain hours.
Mark Thomson and his dog Leo on Jan. 26, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)Back at the London dog park, daily bus rider Barbara Walker was initially excited about the policy.
She hoped it meant she could bring her dog Molly on the bus.
“I think that would be great. To take her to the vet is very inconvenient. I have to borrow my mom’s car or we just don’t go,” she said.
But unfortunately, Molly will be too large to ride London’s buses.
“She wouldn’t follow those guidelines. I don’t think that’s fair,” sighed Walker.
It turns out the separation between the big dogs and the little dogs is not sitting well with dog owners of all sizes.
“It kind of doesn’t make sense. I guess either allow it or not because there are both ends of the coin,” said Pamela, the owner of a small dog.
But at a bus stop, riders said there is merit in the new LTC pet policy.
Barbara Walker, a daily bus rider, and her dog Molly on Jan. 26, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)One woman told us she will welcome pets onboard, but not with a free rein.
“As long as they’re in a carrier, restrained. As long as nobody takes advantage of the situation, I think that’s ok.”
Meanwhile, Walker hopes someday the policy will be broadened to allow Molly to ride.
“It is a start and maybe over time if it works out, they can extend to allow the bigger dogs.”
Meanwhile, the LTC and other transit authorities have had to consider the impact of the pet policies on those with service animals.
Some, including the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee, have expressed worry service animals could be attacked or disrupted.
After weeks of resistance, and ahead of a vote that could have compelled it to happen, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office has announced that his chief of staff Katie Telford will testify about foreign interference, before a committee that has been studying the issue for months.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has released foreign interference special rapporteur David Johnston's mandate, which instructs the former governor general to determine by May 23 whether a public inquiry is necessary.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Donald Trump will try to turn any indictment to his advantage by stoking anger among core supporters over what they see as the weaponization of the justice system, though it may also push more Republicans tired of the drama around him to look for another presidential candidate.
A Virginia teacher who was shot and wounded by her 6-year-old student said it has changed her life and she has vivid memories and nightmares about that day.
Researchers have been pushing the limits of 3D printing for decades, using the manufacturing technique to churn out consumer goods such as furniture and shoes, human organs and even a rocket. But can the industrial technology be applied to make a fully baked dessert that can be fabricated in your home kitchen?
As asylum seekers pour across the border between Now York and Quebec at near-record numbers, the city is being asked to accommodate even more at area hotels.
Sudbury police are looking for a transport truck and its driver involved in Monday's crash on MR80, originally believed to be a single-vehicle collision.
Gwyneth Paltrow appeared in court in Utah on Tuesday morning in a lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who said that the actor-turned-lifestyle influencer violently crashed into him in 2016 while skiing at one of the most upscale ski resorts in the United States.
The Farmers' Almanac has released its 2023 summer forecast, and, according to the long-range forecaster, Ontario could be in for some 'hot and soggy' summer months.
A 31-year-old neuroscientist is believed to be among the six people missing after a massive fire in Old Montreal last week. An Wu was staying at the heritage building on Place d'Youville to attend a conference, according to friends and family.
Rescuers have yet to recover any additional bodies from the wreck of a fire in Old Montreal last week. As of Tuesday morning, there were still six people missing. The body of one victim, a woman, was extracted on Sunday.
Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard is scheduled to table the first budget of the Coalition Avenir Québec's second mandate this afternoon. Girard broke with tradition on Monday — instead of buying new shoes ahead of the budget, he announced a $5,000 donation to a Quebec City community centre.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union (NSTU) is weighing in after two staff members and a student, who is also the suspect, were injured in a stabbing at Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
The New Brunswick government has tabled a $12.2-billion budget that forecasts a small surplus and promises a funding boost to help stabilize the ailing health-care sector.
Razak Iyal was given a warm embrace as he officially became a Canadian citizen, more than six years after nearly freezing to death walking across the Canada-United States border in Manitoba.
Students and community members will gather in protest outside the Calgary Board of Education Centre Tuesday morning, calling for the removal of the Sir John A. Macdonald name from a northwest junior high school.
A Wheatland County sanctuary that cares for abandoned and surrendered farm animals faces an uncertain future after having a permit application to keep operating denied.
The Edmonton police officers killed in the line of duty last week will be moved to a funeral home on Tuesday. A procession will take constables Brett Ryan and Travis Jordan from the medical examiner's office to Serenity Funeral Home at noon.
One person was arrested in Surrey Monday after police say a speeding driver hit a pedestrian who was walking on the sidewalk, sending the victim to hospital.
A 15-year-old is facing a number of charges, including attempted murder, after two staff members were stabbed at a high school in Bedford, N.S., Monday morning.
Mark Thomson and his dog Leo on Jan. 26, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)Back at the London dog park, daily bus rider Barbara Walker was initially excited about the policy.
Barbara Walker, a daily bus rider, and her dog Molly on Jan. 26, 2023. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)One woman told us she will welcome pets onboard, but not with a free rein.
