Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Fluffy's Law fades away
TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES Enlarge Image
Bela, a six-year-old Greyhound, and her owner Barry Edginton were at the Legislative Building Saturday afternoon to show their support for Fluffy's Law.
Fluffy's Law, the provincial Liberal private member's bill that would have prohibited 'no pet' clauses in rental agreements, has been allowed to die with barely a whimper.
MLAs debated Bill 218, the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act, for an hour this morning at the Manitoba legislature. The debate ended without a vote on whether to send it to committee for public hearings. It is unlikely to be brought before the House again.
Family Services and Consumer Affairs Minister Gord Mackintosh, who addressed the bill, said the government's own amendments to the Act, passed last year, will improve the opportunity for apartment dwellers to keep pets.
The amendments, which will come into force next month, allow landlords to assess a further damage deposit of a half-month's rent for residents with pets. The additional deposit would be limited to damage caused by a pet.
At the same time, the province is forming an "action group" comprised of representatives of pet shelters, apartment owners and the medical community to develop a "pet-friendly apartment strategy," Mackintosh said.
One possibility would include designing a standard pets-welcome form that could be attached to a tenancy agreement "so that there is a clear understanding" of the pet involved and the mutual obligations of the landlord and the tenant.
Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard said the Liberals had received considerable support for Fluffy's Law, including 6,000 signatures on petitions and more than 4,500 supporters on a Fluffy's Law group on Facebook.
He said studies have shown that pet ownership contributes to improved physical and mental health.
His bill would also have allowed landlords to establish and enforce house rules on cleanliness and standards of pet behavior in the complex. And it would have allowed the Residential Tenancy Board to consider whether a pet causes serious allergic reactions or if its behavior interferes with the tenant's enjoyment of the complex.
A couple of hundred supporters rallied in support for the Liberal bill last weekend at the Manitoba Legislative Building.
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
Poll
Most Popular
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Search is on for man seen leaving the scene where two Alberta Mounties were shot
- City family donates $1 million for endowed research chair in cardiology
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Slain woman appears before jury on video
- Census 2011 : Immigrant influx boosts Manitoban population
- Should the federal government be spending $7.5 million on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee?
- LeAnn Rimes in pain following 'minor surgery'
- US teen gets life in prison for killing 9-year-old; called the murder "pretty enjoyable"
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman sexually assaulted during noon-hour in Exchange District
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Census 2011 : Immigrant influx boosts Manitoban population
- OMG! Candy kings back at it
- Original Joe's, Elephant & Castle expanding
- Easy, economical, healthy soup
- Task force to review 2011 flood
- Winnipeg software company ranked top employer
- Lesson about war, power told with Shaw's comic touch
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Time, it appears, is on Assad's side
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Local shooting spoofed on SNL
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- The cost of calories: It's expensive to eat healthily
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.