By the end of the year, dogs on a leash could be authorized in the Montreal metro. Montreal elected officials approved, on Tuesday, the holding of a pilot project to allow dog owners to bring their animals into the underground network of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).
The motion tabled by the opposition at City Hall received the support of the Plante administration, subject to a few amendments. Ensemble Montreal argued that several cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Amsterdam and London, already allow leashed dogs on public transport.
Opposition leader Aref Salem recalled that the pandemic had prompted many Montrealers to adopt an animal. Currently, approximately 24% of homes in the metropolitan area have a dog. “I think today it’s counterproductive to use your car to move a dog to a veterinary clinic, a dog park or wherever,” he explained.
According to him, the presence of dogs in the metro could be limited to certain metro cars or at specific times of the day, outside of rush hour for example.
Her colleague Effie Giannou noted that in Toronto, where dogs are allowed on the subway, no cases of bites have been reported and ridership has not decreased. In Madrid, some coaches are reserved for dogs on a leash, she pointed out: “There are different ways that the STM can carry out this beautiful project”.
Projet Montréal councilor in the Hochelaga district, Éric Alan Caldwell, indicated that he would submit the proposal to the STM board of directors, which he chairs, at its meeting in May. He insisted on the importance of maintaining a good cohabitation in the metro. “We have to move forward in a cautious, measured way and that’s what we will do,” he said. “There are people who, for many reasons, have stopped taking public transit. So the idea is to bring them back into the network, to ensure that they feel good and that we have an efficient, welcoming, efficient and safe network. »
At present, to enter the metro, animals must be caged or in a “closed container”, with the exception of guide or assistance dogs.
This proposal by Ensemble Montréal follows the petition launched by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), which collected more than 16,500 signatures.