City council is getting ready to vote Monday on its controversial animal control bylaw.
If adopted, the bylaw would prohibit the ownership of pit bull type breeds in the city.
READ MORE: ‘Zero tolerance for dog attacks’: Montreal imposes strict animal rules, focuses on pit bulls
Owners that currently have such dogs will be allowed to keep their pets but will have to follow certain conditions.
On Sunday, Mayor Coderre said the law was fair.
“It’s a balanced approach,” he said. “Those individuals who wanted to keep their pit bulls, we’re not slaughtering them. We’re saying that you can keep them under certain conditions.”
READ MORE: Montreal’s mayor determined to adopt pit bull ban despite fierce opposition
Current owners will be required to have a special permit and their dogs must be sterilized and microchipped. Also dangerous dogs will have to be muzzled while out in public.
There are many critics to the proposed bylaw, including the Montreal SPCA.
READ MORE: Montreal SPCA vows to dispute Montreal’s planned pit bull ban
Earlier this month, the SPCA announced that if a city-wide ban is adopted, as of 2017, they’ll no longer provide dog-control services to the nine Montreal boroughs and three other on-island municipalities it serves.
The Coderre administration has repeatedly stated that this bylaw is being put in place to ensure the safety of its citizens.
Mayor Coderre reiterated that feeling Sunday, adding that eight inspectors had already been trained to help ensure boroughs can implement the new regulations.
“I think this is the way to make sure that we are secure, we feel secure and we provide the tools to make that regulation apply,” he said.