St. Jacobs Expo Update (2007)

[WHS]

Hello All,

Some things have come up regarding this years St. Jacobs Expos and I wanted to post the information here to keep you all informed about what's going on and what we're doing about it. Please feel free to post any comments or suggestions here in regards to any of the issues we are currently facing.

As most of you know, the May 27th expo has been cancelled due to various issues. The first being that there was a recent death in the family which has prevented me from finding the time I need to organise and properly advertise the show. Secondly, although I try my best to avoid this, our date conflicted with the Kemptville expo and I don't want our vendors to be in the position of having to choose between expos. It's not a competition and it wouldn't be fair to anyone. The third issue involves a new Animal Control officer of Woolwich County who has been trying very hard to put an end to the show we have been holding reputably for six years now. Because of the general public’s lack of knowledge about exotic pets, we have been forced to make some temporary changes to the October 21st expo. I will outline these changes below.


Expo Changes

The sale and keeping of boas, pythons and tortoises in Woolwich County is prohibited. For more information click here. Since 2001, town council has granted us a 12 hour exemption to this by-law so that we may sell and display the prohibited animals at the show.

Recently Matthew Goldsmith, Woolwich County Animal Control/Municipal Law Enforcement Officer, has requested that the exemption be revoked and that the entire expo be made "display only" on all animals. Knowing that this wouldn't be good for anyone, we fought this recommendation on May 1st and won - with a few minor changes.

1. Animal Control must be notified 14 days prior to each event and allowed to inspect the expo on the day of operation. This is really nothing new as we have had visits from animal control and the local Humane Societies in the past.

2. Pythons and boas no larger than 6.6 feet (as is our usual restriction) and tortoises may still be displayed at the expo but can no longer be sold.

I realize this will cause problems for those of you who specialize in these species, but for the moment there is nothing that can be done to change this new restriction in time for October. However, it has been suggested that we return to speak with Woolwich Town Council some time this year to help educate them about these animals in hopes to have the by-laws changed for good. We will not back down on this issue and will continue to fight it until we see some results that might actually benefit the reptile hobbyists of St. Jacobs and Elmira, Ontario.

Keep your fingers crossed for us and if anyone would like to help or read the minutes of the council meeting feel free to contact us at stjacobs_reptile_expo@yahoo.ca.


More Information

St. Jacobs Reptile Expo Website
Newspaper article - Woolwich Observer - Page 1
Newspaper article - Woolwich Observer - Page 2
Newspaper Comic - Woolwich Observer - Exotic Pets
Township of Woolwich Website

If Admin would kindly keep this thread open I will continue to post updates as things happen.

Lisa Pawley

[Michael Gibson]

Hi Lisa,

I am so sorry to read all of these things that have happened. Our best wishes are with you and your family while you say good by to a loved one. What a terrible time to have all these other irritations.

As far as the rest goes, I understand your frustration. We have just been blindsided by our own town council and the director of the local wildlife center. The outgoing mayor managed to force through an exotic animal bylaw weeks before elections, conveniently without any consultation with affected parties or submissions by differing viewpoints. The wildlife center director was quoted in the local paper describing reptile owners as "animal hoarders" and displaying deviant attitudes. She went on to say we target lax townships in order to move there and continue our anti-social behaviour! If it wasn't so sad I'd be laughing myself silly. I spoke with another very concerned young woman who was going to make an 11th hour presentation to council regarding her ball python. At the council meeting she was told by one of the councillors that she would have to dispose of her animal since, like many of the local roaming dogs, it posed a sumstantial risk to the community. A BALL PYTHON!!!!??? Anyway, it looks like enlightenment abounds in Ontario! Needless to say I did not speak to council as I have no wish to face several thousands of dollars in fines.

I will be eager to hear how your situation progresses. We all have our everythings crossed for you.

Sincerely,
Michael Gibson

[WHS]

Originally Posted by Michael Gibson

I am so sorry to read all of these things that have happened. Our best wishes are with you and your family while you say good by to a loved one. What a terrible time to have all these other irritations.

Hello Michael. Thanks for your kind words and wishes and I hope you'll excuse the delayed reply. Life doesn't allow me to check these forums as often as I once did. It's not been an easy two months and I feel terrible about cancelling the expo, but I just had too much on my plate and I didn't want any vendors losing out because of my own lack of enthusiasm this time.

The wildlife center director was quoted in the local paper describing reptile owners as "animal hoarders" and displaying deviant attitudes. She went on to say we target lax townships in order to move there and continue our anti-social behaviour! If it wasn't so sad I'd be laughing myself silly.

That's really terrible. I'm sorry to hear that you've been dealing with these issues as well. It's even more difficult to educate people when they come up with ridiculous stereotypes like this. Reptile keepers come in all shapes, sizes, colors, ages, etc. and I'll never understand why we seem to be judged as social deviants or general "weirdos". It's attitudes like hers that cause even more problems for us.

At the council meeting she was told by one of the councillors that she would have to dispose of her animal since, like many of the local roaming dogs, it posed a sumstantial risk to the community. A BALL PYTHON!!!!???

Her ball python?! What did they figure it was going to do, break free and hide somewhere, thus scaring people to death and putting the safety of the general public at risk? It might eat a few of the local children as it crawls around searching for a warm, safe place, huh? (end sarcasm)

They're actually asking her to have her pet put down? Uneducated idiots never cease to amaze me. I just don't understand why they wouldn't do a little research before they say such things. In the end, they just look foolish.

Needless to say I did not speak to council as I have no wish to face several thousands of dollars in fines.

I can understand and relate to that concern.

I will be eager to hear how your situation progresses. We all have our everythings crossed for you.

Thank you for your support. I imagine we might not meet with them for a while yet. Possibly some time during the summer months, but if all goes well in this small town, it might be the first step towards educating other larger cities and communities.


Lisa