[nagdu] Service Animal Protection Legislation

Fri Dec 10 13:59:20 UTC 2010

Doug,
    Thank you for sending this to the list. BTW, the list does allow for 
attachments. . That being said, please keep any attached files small (les 
than 1 MB or so), as some subscribers are using a dial-up or other slow 
servor that might cause them challenges during download.

fraternally yours,
Marion

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doug Parisian" <eggmann at mts.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 2010 12:33 AM
Subject: [nagdu] Service Animal Protection Legislation

Well gentle leaders (whoops, readers) I have a PDF copy of the Bill, Passed 
by our Provincince of manitoba about 14 months ago.  And, gosh darn, I had a 
pretty important paw in the whole thing, though I am purposefully not 
involved in any of the disabled groups hereabouts.  In fact, a few of there 
key folks therein who, boohoohoo, don't like me and I learned about the 
whole process through the back door.  Rather than to break the thing by some 
reality-based concerns, I thought it better that it go through and any 
ammendments can come later.

Unfortunately, this PDF file exported terribly into text, like as in one or 
two words per line and it is a five page document.  However, I do have the 
speech made by the Member of the Legislative assembly who spoke on and about 
the bill before the final vote which I will include.  If anyone wants the 
actual act, let me know since I doubt that the list will accept attachments, 
and understandably so.  Meantime, I'll see what my outdated K1000 will do 
with the PDF.

The following is a little long but I think, at least uplifting.  The text 
begins below

********************

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
September 23, 2009
Ms. Sharon Blady (Kirkfield Park): Mr. Speaker, I
move, seconded by the member from Wellington,
that Bill No. 238, The Service Animal Protection
Act; Loi sur la protection des animaux d'assistance,
as amended and reported from the Standing
Committee on Social and Economic Development,
be concurred in and be now read for a third time and
passed.
Mr. Speaker: It has been moved by the honourable
member for Kirkfield Park, seconded by the
honourable member for Wellington (Ms. Marcelino),
that Bill No. 238, The Service Animals Protection
Act, as amended and reported from the Standing
Committee on Social and Economic Development,
be concurred in and be now read for a third time and
passed.
Ms. Blady: Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today
and speak on the third reading of Bill 238, The
Service Animal Protection Act.
Mr. Speaker, this will be first-in-Canada
legislation that recognizes the valuable role that
service animals play in our society, whether they are
in private or public service. This legislation makes it
an offence to interfere with a service animal, and
such interference can not only impede the animal's
ability to focus and concentrate at the moment, and
therefore undermine the safety of the human and
animal team, but it can also undermine the animal's
training, and in some cases require the costly
retraining or replacement of these animals.
Mr. Speaker, that training can take years and
cost tens of thousands of dollars not to mention the
time lost during retraining or replacement of these
animals. This legislation gives owners and handlers
peace of mind as well as previously unavailable
means by which they can seek compensation for
such damages to their service animals.
It also allows for fines that are in keeping with
other related animal legislation. An amendment at
committee stage now also provides a justice with the
opportunity to order attendance at obedience training
where interference has involved another animal.
This amendment was the result of co-operation
and information from the service animal community
who would like to see logical and practical
consequences that could potentially prevent future
incidences of interference.
Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that this legislation
can be part of educating Manitobans about the role
that these animals play in our society and to
encourage a growing respect for these animals.
Information on the government Web site will be the
first step in this direction to educating Manitobans,
and I look forward to working with the many
supporters of this legislation to continue to raise
awareness about the etiquette associated with service
animals and, again, the vital role they play in each of
our lives whether we realize it or not.
These animals, when they work in private
service, work as part of a human-animal team that
makes life much more enriched and easy for those
that have often visual impairment or hearing
impairment or other medical conditions that can be
mediated by a service animal, and their contributions
to society are enriched by their partnership with their
service animal.
Ms. Marilyn Brick, Acting Speaker, in the Chair
In public service, these animals protect us every
day in ways that we are often unaware of, whether
this is service animals that are trained to sniff for
bombs, for drugs, or service animals that are
employed in the investigation of crime, or more
touching, in many respects, to the one that we most
often think of, is in search and rescue where the role
of a service animal can mean life and death for loved
ones.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank those who
have collaborated in bringing this legislation this far.
There are too many to name them all individually
here but I would like to acknowledge a few. We'd
like to begin with Ms. Yvonne Peters for bringing
this issue to attention and for her ongoing support of
this legislation.
I would also like to thank members of the board
and staff of various organizations within the city and
across Canada including CNIB, the Society for
Manitobans with Disabilities, the Manitoba League
of Persons with Disabilities, the Canadian Council of
the Blind, Manitoba division, Independent Living
Resource Centre, and the Manitoba Deaf
Association.
Also important in their support were the Office
of the Fire Commissioner, the Winnipeg Police
Service, Brandon Police Service, the RCMP,
Manitoba Conservation, the Manitoba Police Canine
Association and the United Fire Fighters of
Winnipeg.
I would also like to thank, specifically, Sergeant
David Bessason who has afforded me the

Page 19
September 23, 2009
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA
3321
opportunity to go and watch police canine training
sessions.
* (14:50)
I would also like to personally thank Janet Hunt
and Vic Pereira and their wonderful canine
companions for the friendship that they have
extended to me during this process and the
opportunity to meet and interact with their amazing
service animals.
I would also like to thank Doug Parisian, who
made many interesting contributions along the way,
most significantly working to inform me about issues
around retraining and his work towards the
amendment of this bill and his ongoing support of
the bill.
There are so many things I would like to say
about this legislation and the process, but the most
important thing is I really appreciate the opportunity
to have worked with so many wonderful people to
bring in legislation that is, in many respects, long
overdue for those in the service animal community;
again, whether they have a personal service animal
that works with them in private service or whether
they are one in-of the many peace officers in our
province that, again, daily work to protect us with
their service animals at their side.
These are amazing animals. The work that they
do and the contribution they can-they make to us on
a daily basis is immeasurable, and the least that we
can do for these animals and their human partners is
to afford them the peace of mind that this legislation
provides.
So, in closing, I look forward to continuing these
relationships as we move forward with educating
Manitobans and Canadians about this issue, and I
look forward to this legislation becoming the first in
Canada to recognize the valuable work of private and
public service animals. And, most importantly, I look
forward to its unanimous passage today and to the
prospect of colleagues in other jurisdictions bringing
forward similar legislation across Canada.
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.
Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Inkster): Yes, Madam
Deputy Speaker, I, too, just want to add some
comments from the Manitoba Liberal Party's
perspective on this bill.
We support the bill in terms of what it is doing.
In fact, we recognize the value of contributions that
service animals provide, not only our province but
provinces across Canada, and I think whether it's a
disaster, it's an airport, all sorts of circumstances in
which we see service animals providing a service to
the population, that we need to acknowledge the
efforts of all those individuals involved in protecting
us in many different ways.
And there are a lot of special animals that
provide services, everything from a police service, to
customs, to even-you know, we can make reference
to those that would assist the blind. There's many
ways and many roles that animals play in today's
society, and, as the member that spoke before me
made reference in terms of the people that were
involved in assisting with the legislation, we would
extend our appreciation to all of those that played a
role in bringing forward Bill 238 to this date and,
ultimately, we look forward to seeing its passage.
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.
The Acting Speaker (Ms. Brick): Is this House
ready for the question?
Some Honourable Members: Question.
The Acting Speaker (Ms. Brick): The question
before the House is concurrence and third reading of
The Service Animals Protection Act.
Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the
motion? [Agreed]
_______________________________________________
nagdu mailing list
nagdu at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/blind411%40verizon.net 