Moving season is once again taking its toll on the Montreal SPCA, as the organization is taking in more than double the number of abandoned animals it typically receives each day. The SPCA is therefore calling on political parties to end clauses that prohibit pets in housing. “On a typical day at the Montreal SPCA, we take in about 20 animals, and right now, just before the fateful July 1 deadline and in the weeks that follow, we’re seeing at least double that number—and sometimes much more. We’re seeing exceptional days where we sometimes take in 60 to 70 animals,” said SPCA executive director Sylvie Bourbonnière. She noted that this situation puts a great deal of pressure on the SPCA’s staff and volunteers, as well as on the organization’s finances. “We were prepared for this, but every year it’s the same thing,” said Bourbonnière. “It can sometimes be emotionally draining even for the staff—these are intense periods with many, many animals arriving at once. So we’re staying the course, but it’s a difficult time. We couldn’t keep up this pace all year long.” Bourbonnière also said that many landlords prohibit pets, which complicates the search for housing as the housing crisis continues. “Nearly 85 per cent of landlords refuse to rent to families living with pets or impose significant restrictions, either on the size of the animal or the species,” she said. “This makes it difficult for many people to find housing. It remains a major issue, especially since we know that in Quebec, nearly half of all families live with a pet.” A questionnaire for political parties With the provincial elections approaching this fall, the Montreal SPCA sent a questionnaire this week to all parties represented in the National Assembly, asking them to state their positions on four issues of concern to the SPCA. The organization plans to release the parties’ responses to the questionnaire in September. “This will allow people to have as much information as possible,” said Bourbonnière. “These are issues that are sometimes not discussed in major forums, and we want to ensure that we get answers so that people can then make choices based on their core values.” The SPCA is calling on the parties to commit to facilitating access to housing for people living with pets, to ban fur farms in Quebec, and to regulate the living conditions of farm animals. Finally, the organization is calling on the parties to take a stand on the interests of animals in the event of marital separations. “Animals are still treated as personal property, even though their legal status has changed since 2015—they are now considered sentient beings,” said the executive director. “We really want to emphasize this and ensure that the parties make specific commitments in this regard.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 25, 2026.
