It’s very disappointing that the Government did not support a bill that protects landlords and allergy sufferers: Gerrard

 Winnipeg – Jon Gerrard, Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party and MLA for River Heights, said he was dismayed that Bill 218 (Fluffy’s Law) was killed in second reading by the NDP.  Gerrard was also disappointed that the Tories did not voice their support for the bill.

 “Bill 218 is a step forward in building good relationships between landlords and pet owners.  The current NDP legislation ties the hands of property owners when it comes to allowing pets into rental properties.  Landlords can currently charge a pet fee but once they allow a pet in, the landlord have no tools to set and enforce house rules on cleanliness, noise levels, and pet behavior,” said Gerrard.

 Gerrard also added that by killing Fluffy’s Law the NDP have lost a prime opportunity to save millions of dollars in health care costs.  “There are countless studies that reveal numerous health benefits to pet ownership.  People who own pets have lower rates of cardiovascular disease and suffer from less depression.  An Australian study showed that the national health care budget could be cut by 5% if more people owned pets.”

 “If we could lower Manitoba’s health care costs by 5% for 2010-2011, that would mean savings of $25 million for Manitoba taxpayers, but the NDP have chosen to not support a very easy way to cut costs.”

 Gerrard also challenged the NDP’s arguments that Fluffy’s Law doesn’t protect allergy sufferers.   “The NDP are talking out of both sides of their mouth.  On one hand they are promoting the idea of pets in apartments and rentals through their pet-fee policy, but on the other hand they are saying that pets don’t belong in apartments due to allergies.  Bill 218 actually protects allergy sufferers whereas current NDP law is silent on this important issue.”

 Pet-friendly legislation has successfully been in place in Ontario for more than 10 years.  More than 800,000 complaints are made to the Ontario Rental Tribunal each year but less than 1% of the complaints involve pets.

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To view a complete version of Bill 218 (Fluffy’s Law) please visit:  http://web2.gov.mb.ca/bills/39-4/b218e.php

For more information on Fluffy’s Law, please contact: Michelle Nyhof, Communications Officer for Manitoba Liberal Caucus at (204) 771-2513 or email michelle.nyhof@leg.gov.mb.ca