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Horse-drawn carriage industry prepares lawsuit against City of Victoria

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Victoria’s horse-drawn carriage industry is gearing up to strike back after city council approved a motion to examine the resource implications of phasing out commercial horse-drawn carriages from downtown streets by 2023.

The two companies that offer the service in Victoria, Tally-Ho Carriage Tours and Victoria Carriage Tours, say they have retained legal counsel that will file a lawsuit if the City approves the motion at their next meeting on May 23rd.

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Last week, councillor Ben Isitt proposed to discuss the resource implications of replacing horse-drawn carriages with “e-carriages” within the next 4 years.

His motion gained preliminary approval from councillors Laurel Collins, Sharmarke Dubow, Jeremy Loveday, and Sarah Potts – while Mayor Lisa Helps, and councillors Charlayne Thornton-Joe and Geoff Young voted to keep the industry as is – and will therefore be subject to a final vote on this Thursday.

In response, owner of Tally-Ho and spokesperson for the local horse carriage industry Donna Friedlander, argues that the defamatory statements issued by councillor Isitt have already damaged the reputation and long-term value of these businesses.

“We’re proud not just of being a key tourism attraction, but also being recognized by peers across North America and the local professional equine community as having outstanding ethics, practices and care for the animals,” said Friedlander.

“…the reality is that the average draft horse requires almost $20,000 annually in feed, veterinarian, and foot care. Council cannot expect us, or anyone else, to be able to maintain care for these horses long term, without them doing the work they were bred for and are eager and happy to do every day.”

Collaborating with authorities

In July 2018, the BC SPCA sent a letter to Victoria city council urging them to ban horse-drawn carriages in Victoria.

The letter was written in response to an incident on May 4 at Ogden Point in which two horses fell to the ground after their carriage hit a nearby tour bus.

Both horses were uninjured by the incident, but it inspired a storm of controversy across social media after a video of the aftermath went viral.

See also: BC SPCA recommends ban on horse-drawn carriage tours in Victoria (UPDATE)

According to the latest information from Donna Friendlander, the SPCA no longer calls for an outright ban, but recommended a “solutions-based approach that reviews existing practices, barriers and opportunities for horse-carriage operation.”

Since then, Friedlander asserts that the two horse-carriage companies have been working with city and SPCA representatives to come up with proposals that aim to increase protection of horses from vehicle traffic, support public safety, and enhance the carriage tour experience for visitors and residents.

“Mayor Helps is on record saying horse carriages did not come up as a concern from the public during their recent strategic planning sessions, and I am really disappointed that five members of Council seem to be blindly following Mr. Isitt’s own personal animal activist agenda, ahead of what is actually in the best interests of taxpayers, and what the public have told them are their priorities,” said Friedlander.

“There’s no room for ideology on City Council. This calls into question the Council’s accountability to the public. Why are they wasting time and money on trying to undo the decision of the previous Council on an issue that was already resolved last year?”

Call to action from both sides

Since councillor Isitt’s motion gained preliminary approval from city council, Victoria’s horse-carriage industry has launched an online petition to garner public support for the continuation of the industry in the city.

This petition was launched on Saturday, May 18th and has over 6,000 signatures at the time of publication.

Both horse-carriage companies also urge those who feel strongly about this debate to either send an email to city council in favour of the businesses, or attend the May 23rd open council meeting.

On the other hand, the Victoria Horse Alliance has advocated for an end to horse-drawn carriages in the city for years. A petition to ban the use of horses in the city that they started in 2016 has since garnered over 39,500 signatures.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT for carriage operators in Victoria!Thousands of letters and recent online polls showing very strong…

Posted by Tally-Ho Carriage Tours on Saturday, May 18, 2019

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Brishti Basu
Former Senior Staff Writer and Content Manager at Victoria Buzz.

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