Look for fines in North Battleford's Animal Protection Bylaw to go up in 2013.
The city's municipal services committee put those fines under the microscope at Monday's meeting, as they considered a recommendation to raise the fines from the current levels.
Under the bylaw, first offences start at $50, with second offences up to $100 and third and subsequent offences at $200. The fines are for a wide range of offences including animals being at large, allowing dogs to become a nuisance in an off-leash area, failure to remove an animal's waste from public or private property and other offences.
Bylaw enforcement supervisor Ross MacAngus told the committee the fines as they stand simply aren't getting the message across. Moreover, the courts do not want to deal with fines under $100, he said.
The amounts approved at the meeting will see those fines for first offences starting at $100, with second offences at $150 and subsequent offences $250.
The only difference will be for the category "animal creating a nuisance by barking or howling," identified by MacAngus as a major problem at the meeting.
There, the fines will be $100 for first offences, $200 for second offences and $300 for subsequent offences.
While the committee has approved the changes, the next step is for the new animal protection fines to go to the full city council for final approval.
