An Ontario Superior Court judge has found some of the enforcement powers held by the province's animal welfare agency to be unconstitutional, and says the government has 12 months to rewrite laws to remedy the situation. The judge also said he doesn't see how the relevant sections of the OSPCA Act could be easily modified to make them compliant with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He noted 21 sections of the OSPCA Act that are "of no force and effect" and suggested the act might have to be re-written from scratch. "This was never about attacking animal welfare laws. But Labchuk said the decision only deals with the enforcement of animal welfare laws, and she argued tougher legislation is needed to protect animals.

Source: CBC News January 03, 2019 16:10 UTC