Animal Control Services

By-Laws

There are two main by-laws that regulate the keeping of animals within the municipality.  The Animal Control By-law regulates the keeping of animals, including limitations on the number of animals which may be kept, and stipulates which animals are prohibited from being within the municipality. The Noise By-law regulates noise and prohibits certain noise.  Specific to animal control, the Noise By-law prohibits "the emission of sound, barking, whining or other similar noise by any domestic pet in the municipality if it can be heard by someone not on the same premises and if the noise unreasonably disturbs that person." Pet owners are responsible for ensuring that their pet does not interfere with their neighbour's enjoyment of their property.   

 1.  Animal Control By-law No. 2014-19
 2.  Noise By-law No. 2015-33

Animal Licensing

The Animal Control By-law requires that all dogs must have a municipal dog tag (license). Tags are available at the Municipal Office at an annual cost of $20.00 for the first tag and $10.00 for each additional tag and are to be renewed annually on January 1st. There are many benefits to licensing your dog:

• Assists in the safe and quick return of your pet if it gets lost as we have your contact information on file;

• Tags are immediately visible to anyone who finds your dog; and

• Your dog spends less time in the shelter.

Dog Tag License Form 

Black Bears 

Not every bear sighting is an emergency situation. Who to call if you encounter a bear depends on whether the situation is an emergency.

Emergency situations:

Call 911 if a bear poses an immediate threat to personal safety and exhibits threatening or aggressive behaviour, such as:

• enters a school yard when school is in session
• stalks people and lingers at the site
• enters or tries to enter a residence
• wanders into a public gathering
• kills livestock/pets and lingers at the site

Police will respond first to an emergency situation, but may request assistance from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry during daylight hours.

Non-emergency encounters:

Call the toll-free Bear Wise reporting line at 1-866-514-2327 if a bear:

• roams around or checks garbage cans
• breaks into a shed where garbage or food is stored
• is in a tree
• pulls down a bird feeder or knocks over a barbecue
• moves through a backyard or field but does not linger 

This line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from April 1 to November 30.

To prevent bear encounters in your neighbourhood, refer to the following Fact Sheet.

For additional information on the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry's Bear Wise Program, visit their site. 

Beaver dams can cause a back up of creeks and rivers throughout the Municipality. If a river is backed up in several locations and one dam gives way, it can cause downstream flooding, damage to natural habitats and damage to other properties and roadways. The Municipality monitors culverts and ditches on an ongoing basis to ensure that they are clear to accept water should a dam let go; however, property owners are responsible for monitoring waterways and resolving any dam issues located on private property. 

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry licenses local trappers. Trappers, with an agreement from the property owner, can be contracted to remove a nuisance beaver from private property. To learn more, visit the Ministry's website or download a fact sheet here. 

Should a dam that is located on private property let go, the property owners may be liable for damage caused to properties and roadways downstream.  Contact the municipality if you have concerns about a beaver dam on your property.