Item - 2016.LS15.2

The Licensing and Standards Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve amendments to Chapter 349, Animals, Article II, Prohibited Animals, 349-4. Exceptions to:

a.  Add Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, located at 288 Bremner Boulevard in Toronto, to the list of exceptions;

b.  Delete the exception for the premises of facilities accredited by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA); and

c.  Delete the exception for the areas in the City where education programs are conducted with animals, if the animals are owned by facilities accredited by CAZA or the American Zoo and Aquarium Association and only while the education programs are actually being conducted, provided that such programs are limited to a maximum of three days at any one location.

This report proposes amendments to Chapter 349, Animals, Article II, Prohibited Animals to delete the exception for the premises of facilities accredited by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA); delete the exception for areas in the City where education programs are conducted with prohibited animals; and add Ripley's Aquarium of Canada (located at 288 Bremner Boulevard) to the listed exceptions.

Toronto Animal Services has significant concerns about prohibited animals in the City of Toronto including the health and safety risk they pose to residents, the ability to properly care for the animals and the nuisance to neighbourhoods that they may pose.

The removal of the blanket CAZA exception and exception for education programs conducted with prohibited animals will provide the City of Toronto the opportunity to conduct its own due diligence for organizations and facilities who want to keep prohibited animals. A process with established criteria is being developed for implementation in 2017.

The addition of Ripley's Aquarium of Canada to the listed exceptions in the by-law will then be necessary as it has been operating since 2013, is CAZA accredited and the City is satisfied with its ability to care for prohibited animals.