Dogs will soon be allowed on terraces in Quebec

Dog on a terrace. (Source: cottonbro studio/pexels.com)

With terrace season just around the corner, dog owners in Quebec will soon be able to bring their four-legged friends with them when they want to sip a cold one outdoors.

An amendment to Bill 85 was adopted last month that would allow anyone to bring a dog on a terrace, or an “outdoor public service area,” across Quebec as long as they have the “operator’s authorization.” This means it will be up to individual bar and restaurant owners to decide whether or not to allow animals onto their outdoor properties.

Last spring, the Quebec Hotel Association requested the law be relaxed to allow dog owners to bring their pups with them to enjoy a drink or meal without facing a fine from the province’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ).

“According to our members, this demand was no longer restricted to American or Ontario tourists traveling with their dogs, but was also coming from Quebecers,” according to Association Restauration Quebec.

The l’Association Hôtellerie Québec also supported changing the law.

The amendment to the bill was adopted on March 25 during the study of Bill 85, An Act to amend various provisions for the main purpose of reducing regulatory and administrative burden.

The law is expected to take effect later this year. CTV News has reached out to the government for a specific date.

In 2022, the City of Montreal passed a law that allows leashed dogs on the Metro under certain conditions. The opposition at City Hall is now trying to expand the law to also allow dogs on city buses.