Victoria city council has voted in favour of examining a ban on horse-drawn carriages in city streets.
City staff have now been requested to compile a report on the information received in a letter from the BC SPCA regarding horse-drawn carriages.
The letter contained a series of recommendations after the BC SPCA examined video of an accident that took place on May 4 in which two horses were knocked over when their carriage was hit by a tour bus.
In the letter, Craig Daniell, BC SPCA Chief Executive Officer, writes that video footage of the event was “alarming” and demonstrates handlers “were not adequately trained in emergency procedures, nor in control of a situation which posed a serious threat to public safety and the animals’ welfare.”
The BC SPCA recommended that city council prohibits the operation of horse-drawn vehicles on Victoria’s streets, and that horse-drawn vehicles be limited to those which only require one horse to operate.
City council voted in favour of the motion at a meeting on Thursday, June 7.
Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe, who brought the motion forward, said it “behooves” council to gather more information from staff.
“There’s a lot of information in the letter from the SCPA, and there may be things for us to consider,” she said. “I think if we send it to staff, they can come back with a full report, and if we have additional questions, we can ask them at that time.”
