It’s no secret that finding a place to live in B.C.’s capital can be a difficult task with the low vacancy rate, but it can be especially tough if you have a pet, according to a Victoria tenant.
Rachel White wants an emotional support animal law introduced in Canada, which she says already exists in the U.S.
The woman hopes the B.C. government will revise legislation to make it easier to have pets in homes.
“We need to have an emotional support animal law, which allows people to have their animal as a simple pet that’s well-behaved, doesn’t cause damage to the unit and gets to live with them in non-pet housing,” White said.
White and Jordan Reichert with the Animal Protection Party of Canada took the issue to Victoria councillors this week.
The duo asked councillors to write letters to the Housing Ministry in support of the animal law.
“It’s a barrier to safe and affordable housing for many people and something has to be done about it,” Reichert said.
Victoria councillor and member of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, Charlayne Thornton-Joe, agrees that a solution is needed, but says legislation may not be the answer.
“For those who want pets, there’s also those who do not want pets and we have to find that balance,” Thornton-Joe said.
The councillor wants to meet with a representative from BC Housing before she writes a letter to the ministry.
White has started a petition that requests a change in legislation in British Columbia. It can be signed at Godfrey’s Luggage and Leather on Douglas Street.
