The PEI Humane Society wants people to sign a petition calling on Ottawa to enact a national tenants’ rights declaration that would repeal all no-pet clauses in rental agreements.
Ashley Travis, communications coordinator at the PEI Humane Society, says more than a third of all animals surrendered to the shelter are surrendered because their owners cannot find pet-friendly housing. She said that is one of the main reasons the society has a waiting list of animals to take in.
“Owners have to decide whether they want to find a stable, safe place to live or keep their pet. And that’s an unfortunate situation. It’s happening all over the country and certainly here,” Travis said.
“There are a lot of very emotional conversations,” she said.
“People come to us who have been searching for months, who have been told that they have to leave their home by, say, September 1st, who have been searching all summer and have not been able to find anything, and who have to come to us on the last possible day and bring their pet to us.”
“Our pets are important to us”
The national petition, which calls for “a legally binding, nationwide Canadian tenants’ rights bill,” is sponsored by Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP for the Toronto area.
Erskine-Smith said he wants other provinces to follow Ontario’s example, which has provincial legislation that prevents landlords from evicting pet owners.
The Liberal MP said he believes the Trudeau government will seek a change in the law in response to his measure, which has been classified as petition e-5046 to the House of Commons. If a bill of rights is not possible because housing rents are a provincial jurisdiction, he suggested Ottawa could make pet-friendly policies a condition of disbursing housing funds to the provinces and territories.
Our pets are like family members to us and we should look for ways to incorporate this idea into legislation in every way possible.— MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith
“It’s really about taking this idea that’s been around here in Ontario for a long time and making it a national idea,” Erskine-Smith said in an interview from his home in Toronto’s Beaches-East York constituency.
“The more people sign this petition, the clearer it will be to the government that this is an issue that matters to people across the country… Our pets are important to us as family members and we should find ways to incorporate that idea into the law in every way we can.”
A Toronto-area MP is supporting a petition calling on the federal government to stop landlords from barring pet owners from renting their apartments. CBC’s Wayne Thibodeau spoke to Nate Erskine-Smith about his motivations for the petition, and Ashley Travis of the PEI Humane Society tells us just how big a problem pet abandonment is on the Island.
“The worst thing we have ever seen”
Karla Shalley founded a group called PEI Cares, a nonprofit organization dedicated to animal welfare on the island.
She works with people who may have to give up their pets because they cannot find suitable shelter for these animals.
“This is the worst we have ever seen in terms of animals being surrendered to local shelters and rescue groups,” said Shalley, who has met with provincial officials to discuss the issue of animal-friendly housing.
Because of the low vacancy rate on Prince Edward Island, it is very difficult for anyone to find affordable housing, she stressed. “You can imagine having a pet, let alone a larger dog.”
Landlords should be given the choice whether or not to accept pets in their apartments, the Residential Rental Association of Prince Edward Island said in a statement to CBC News.
The association said allowing landlords to charge a pet deposit or an additional security deposit for people with animals to cover potential damage could create more spaces, but such a measure is “prohibited by the provincial government,” the statement said.
A provincial spokeswoman told CBC News in an email that officials recently met with groups representing landlords and tenants to see if they had any suggestions for improving the Residential Rental Act. She confirmed that the Residential Rental Association of PEI had proposed amending the law to allow pet deposits.
“The ministry would only propose any significant change to the (law) after consultation with the public,” the spokesman said.
“Only support system”
Travis hopes the petition will lead to changes in the law that will create more homes for people and their pets. She is hoping to get 50,000 signatures from across Canada.
“These animals provide a great support to people who otherwise don’t have support systems … people who are disproportionately at risk and may be suffering from addiction, mental health issues or things like that,” she said.
“Animals are sometimes their only support. So if you take an animal out of their life, you are also taking away their only support.”
