Latest news with #SkylarFranke
CTV News
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
City considering bylaw against leaving animals in hot vehicles
Councillors want to crack down on Londoners who leave their pets inside hot vehicles. A motion by Coun. Skylar Franke and Coun. David Ferreira aims to curb the alarming number of emergency calls made to the London Police Service (LPS) and animal control officers to rescue animals locked inside vehicles. According to Franke, there were 114 calls to police in 2024 for pets locked in vehicles, and 60 calls by mid-July this year. 'If we are sending members of LPS or the animal control [officers], that we are able to recoup those costs,' she told the Community and Protective Services (CAPS) Committee. 'But without some sort of bylaw we are not able to charge a penalty.' 'People understand that it's wrong to leave an animal in a hot car, and yet they do it and they justify it. There have to be repercussions,' said Coun. Sam Trosow. A letter from the Humane Society London and Middlesex warns, 'Each summer, we are confronted with heartbreaking reminders that even a few short minutes inside a parked car in the heat can be fatal to an animal.' It adds, 'A cracked window or shaded parking spot offers little to no protection against the rapid increase in a car's interior temperature.' If approved by council next week, the motion would direct staff to develop recommendations that will protect animals left unattended in a motor vehicle including but not limited to amendments to existing or a new bylaw next spring (Q2 2026). 'Even though we do have provincial regulations with respect to that, there needs to be more teeth,' Ferreira explained after the meeting. 'Also, there were some good comments made here at committee about how long it takes a provincial representative to get (to London).'
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
‘They should go after the owner': London council considers motions to protect animals
A London City Council committee will consider a pair of motions next week to protect pets, and to protect people and pets from dogs that have shown themselves to be aggressive. 'Well, I mean there aren't any bad dogs, but bad owners, that's the problem,' said dog owner Juergen Reichert, who was enjoying Greenway Off-leash dog park with his Scottish Terrier, Benny, on Friday. 'They should go after the owner, because the dog, any dog … You know we used to have a rottweiler. He was the sweetest dog in the whole neighbourhood. Everybody loved him, because that's the way we raised him,' he explained. City councillors David Ferreira and Skylar Franke will on Monday put forward a motion that would target dangerous dogs. But it's not to be confused with legislation that targets specific breeds, said Franke. 'My understanding is breed-specific bans are not that effective,' she said. Councillor Skylar Franke London City Councillor Skylar Franke speaks to CTV News on Aug 8, 2025. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London) Under the proposal, city staff would be directed to come up with a bylaw that would place more stringent controls on dogs that have been deemed to be dangerous. 'So, this is looking at behaviours with aggressive dogs. So, we want to strike a balance of trying to provide education and communication in order to have dogs participate more properly in the community,' said Franke. Franke says the motion follows concerns raised by several constituents, as well as an online petition calling for the city to take action against dangerous dogs. The petition calls for measures such as mandatory training and larger fines. Dog owner Jessica Pease says she would support new rules in principle, as long as they don't single out specific breeds. Benny Scottish Terrier Ten-year-old Scottish Terrier Benny is seen with his owner, Juergen Reichert, on Aug 8, 2025. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London) 'That would make sense to me, as far as dogs with a history. We actually had an incident where one of our dogs was bitten by another dog. And the owner gave us a fake ID so we could never track down the guy,' said Pease. In the meantime, Ferriera and Franke are putting forward a second pet-related motion – this one dealing with pets left in hot cars. According to Franke, as of mid-July, London police had responded to 60 such incidents to date this year. She says it uses up police resources, and costs local taxpayers in what's supposed to be provincial jurisdiction. 'We want to, again, have a better way of addressing this, and especially if we have bylaw officers and London Police Services going to these calls, we want to be able to recoup the cost of that, and we don't have a method right now to do that,' explained Franke. The two motions will be considered by council's Community and Protective Services Committee Monday.
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
London woman fights for upgrades to bylaws for 'dangerous dogs' after pet was killed
A London dog owner is calling for changes to the city's dog licensing bylaws after her dog was attacked and killed by a larger dog in her neighbourhood earlier this year. Debbie Morris, who launched a petition to require more responsibility for owners of "dangerous dogs," says she's ecstatic something is being done now that two London councillors are bringing it to a city committee next week. "I appreciate the councillors going to bat for me," Morris said. "It was a tough personal thing, but I don't think this is an isolated incident at all." Councillors Skylar Franke and David Ferreira are putting forward a motion on Monday at the community and protective services (CAPS) committee asking city staff to provide a report with recommendations for the bylaw changes. If the motion passes, staff will report back on how other municipalities are dealing with dangerous dogs, what the criteria could be for dangerous and "potentially dangerous" dogs, as well as possible enforcement measures, public messaging and reporting. Dog attack was 'devastating' In April, when Debbie Morris took her 13-year-old male Chihuahua, Butch, for a walk, she didn't expect it to be his last. She said their walk was abruptly and violently cut short when her neighbours' 56-kg German Shepherd got loose and attacked Butch, picking him up off the ground, puncturing both his lungs and shaking the little dog to death. "He was my friend … He was my family, and seeing him getting killed in front of me was devastating," Morris said through tears. "I couldn't sleep. It tortured me for a very long time because there was nothing I could do." Morris sought recourse through the police, animal control, and even put in a claim through the Dog Owners' Liability Act, she said. While a muzzle order and a fine of $125 were enforced, she felt this wasn't enough to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future. It's then Morris began to research other cities' bylaws and created a petition on to update the rules around dog ownership. Morris is unofficially calling the campaign "Butchie's Bylaw." The petition has since garnered more than 700 signatures, which is what initially gained the attention of city councillors. Londoners have, in fact, brought up the issue of aggressive dogs multiple times, Councillor Franke said, adding that she has heard stories of people or their pets being bitten, and the frustration they felt when nothing happened afterward. The staff report the motion is asking for could lead to a proactive solution, she said. "We know that there are some dogs in the community that are a bit more aggressive than others and might be dangerous toward other animals or humans," she said. "So I see this as a way that we can try to address it before something bad happens. So I'm hopeful that we'll see broad support." Humane Society offers city their expertise The Humane Society London and Middlesex (HSLM) provided a letter to the CAPS Committee expressing their interest in contributing their expertise to potential bylaw updates. It would be crucial, executive director Shannon LaHay wrote in the letter, that any proposed changes adhere to three principles. The first would be they use behaviour-based designation criteria for dogs, rather than breed-specific, she said. There would also need to be a system that ensures accountability, with accurate tracking and reporting of dog bite incidents, dangerous dog designations and enforcement outcomes. Lastly, clarity would be key, LaHay said, so community members could easily understand expectations and develop confidence in the process.
CTV News
15-07-2025
- CTV News
Does this London intersection need crossing guards or just safer drivers?
A dangerous intersection in Old South might prompt a citywide review of London's policy for locating crossing guards. Daryl Newcombe reports. A dangerous intersection in Old South might prompt a citywide review of London's policy for locating crossing guards. On Monday, several parents in the area of Wortley Road and Emery Street told the Community and Protective Services CAPS Committee that persistent dangerous driving at the four-way stop poses a serious risk to children walking to school. They want city hall to provide a crossing guard when school resumes in September. 'It's beyond appalling that we've gone this far in order for our children to safely make it to school,' said Matt Grimminck. Currently, London spends $1.55 million each year on 106 crossing guards. Coun. Skylar Franke, who represents the neighbourhood, brought forward a motion requesting a review of city hall's crossing guard policy and development of a budget business case for $200,000 that would fund an additional 14 crossing guards citywide. 'This is just one of the tools we have in our toolbox that I was hoping to move forward,' explained Franke. 'Because it seems that the enforcement that's currently being done is not sufficient.' Committee members agreed that dangerous driving around schools is a source of frequent complaints. 'I have two schools in my ward that for the past two years I've been hearing from the parents the same thing,' said Coun. Jerry Pribil. Coun. Peter Cuddy listed several dangerous school crossings in his northeast ward, 'This isn't an isolated case in my ward, nor is it an isolated case in Coun. Franke's ward. This is happening all over the city.' According to city staff, the intersection of Emery and Wortley was recently evaluated for a crossing guard, but the number of vehicles and pedestrians didn't meet the minimum criteria. Franke suggested the current criteria might not reflect the level of distracted and dangerous driving occurring on London roads. 'There is some flexibility in choosing which standards and metrics we're using and where we want to put crossing guards,' she explained. Coun. Hadleigh McAlister agreed, 'I do think that this is something that should be regularly reviewed. As indicated, we can go above the provincial minimums if we deem it necessary.' The committee unanimously recommended reviewing the policy and criteria for locating crossing guards in consultation with local school boards and private schools. The results could contribute to a budget business case for additional crossing guards in London. The review won't be completed in time to reconsider the presence of a crossing guard at Wortley and Emery by September. After the decision, neighbour Aylish Tate told CTV News, 'I'm ultimately disappointed that we didn't receive the relief that we're looking for—for ourselves, our peace of mind, and for our children come September.' Council will consider the recommendation from the CAPS Committee on July 22.
CTV News
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Community celebrations in London's improved parks
As London's neighbourhood parks undergo improvements through the Neighbourhood Parks Improvement Fund, the city announced each improved park will host a celebration. The upcoming events will feature music, games and activities. Josh Morgan, mayor of London said the improvements are about the people from the community enjoying the space. 'This is really exciting because it's not something the City of London has done before, is invest in an infrastructure asset and then say, actually we want everyone to come out and really enjoy it together because that's what it's all about,' said Morgan. The first event will be hosted at Murray Park, on June 25 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The park, one of the first to be improved, has added seating and a new basketball court. The fund supports 23 park improvements, with $4 million allocated to the project. Improvements are expected to be completed by 2027, with 10 projects being constructed this year. 'A lot of people like to spend time in parks, and something we hear a lot as public officials is, 'please make these improvements, please improve the public spaces we use,' and this is an example of us being able to do that,' said London City Councillor Skylar Franke.
