Montreal planning new centre for stray animals

Montreal plans to open a municipal centre for stray animals. The decision comes eight months after Radio-Canada exposed the inhumane treatment animals were receiving at the Berger Blanc. The private pound had been contracted by 10 of the city’s boroughs.

The new municipal facility will offer adoption services and education. It will also ensure that all procedures are carried out by certified veterinarians.

Part of the problem at the Berger Blanc was the sheer number of animals that had to be euthanized on a daily basis. About 15-thousand animals are euthanized each year in Montreal. Richard Deschamps is in the city facility’s executive committee. He says that this number is unacceptable and wants to revise the way the city handles lost and abandoned animals.

Deschamps also said that the Berger Blanc has changed the way it treats animals since the Radio-Canada report. The city may continue to use the Berger Blanc even after it opens the new facility.