Nova Scotia’s Justice Minister Scott Armstrong said his office will be looking at municipal bylaws around animal control following a dog attack that killed a 13-year-old boy in January. Drew Nickerson was mauled by three dogs while riding his bike in Welshtown, N.S., on Jan. 3. Last week, police concluded their eight-month investigation - which included analyzing video footage, witness and neighbour interviews and information through the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service - with no charges laid. At a cabinet meeting Thursday, the minister said he has “confidence” in the RCMP, but that he is looking for ways to support change from a provincial level. “My concern would be in this case that if this does not rise to the level of criminal negligence or criminal negligence [resulting in] death, the next lower level that we really have in Nova Scotia is municipal bylaws in terms of animal control,” he said. “It might not be the level of criminality, but there could be other from other areas that we could look at, in terms of a provincewide approach to animal control, not stepping on the jurisdiction of municipalities.” The minister stopped short from commenting on whether police had enough evidence to support a charge. “That’s not something from a Department of Justice point of view we involve ourselves in because we really have to have that separation from the political level of the Department of Justice and operational level. Decisions have to be at the hands of the police…we don’t want politicians directing police services who do prosecute, when to prosecute and how to prosecute,” he said. The minister says he is “tremendously disturbed” by the incident and offered his condolences to the family. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
