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Opening comments - more at end. Jan. 16, 1991 Mississauga News - Front page ? & page 4 Cat shelter couple make a deal BY JOHN STEWART - Staff Reporter Lois and Brian have negotiated the right to remain in their City-owned home until June 1, but that hardly softens the blow of having to forego operation of the Burnhamthorpe Cat Shelter, says Mrs. Stevens. "The whole thing's been an absolute nightmare," Stevens said this week after confirming that the couple's lawyers have reached an agreement with lawyers acting for the municipality to allow the extension. City council voted to evict the Stevenses from the property on the future site of a City public gardens and conservatory, on the east side of the Credit River just north of Burnhamthorpe Rd., in the summer of 1989. They were given until Oct. 31 to get out but they refused to move. The cat shelter issue, which first came to public attention in Nov. 1988, caused a furor among animal rights activists and then a furor among councillors. In a long and protracted public debate, which was punctuated by several lively discussions before council, supporters of the Stevenses challenged the City's plans to evict the pair. Their cat shelter, a non-profit operation where abandoned animals were nursed back to health, spayed or neutered and then adopted out to responsible owners, was hailed as a model by animal welfare officials. City officials pointed out that the shelter violated the couple's lease with the municipality and violated the animal control bylaw. When Ward 6 councillor David Culham argued strenuously on behalf of his constituents staying on the land for at least two years, he and Mayor Hazel McCallion became embroiled in a rare public confrontation over the issue. When the eviction deadline passed, city council hired outside legal counsel to fight the case in court. But it never got to court. A tentative agreement was reached to allow the Stevenses to stay until June 1, 1991. When that went to council last spring, however, politicians wanted additional conditions. Those have now finally been agreed upon. Page 4 Cat shelter couple make a deal to stay As part of the deal, tenants living in the house will be asked to vacate by June 1 and the Stevenses promise to wind down the cat shelter before they leave. Lois Stevens says she has been winding down the shelter for some time and has only a few cats there, compared to the 40-50 which were once regular inhabitants. Her main concern about closing the shelter is that there seems to be no replacement for the work she is doing. "The need is still desperately there," says Stevens, who still gets regular calls from owners who can't keep pets. She is now placing them in foster homes. The City has established a committee to examine the issue of providing a private fostering system as an adjunct to the City's animal pound. Culham said the episode was one of the few real "regrets" he has experienced during his political career. It's unfortunate council didn't go along with his recommendation in May 1989 to provide a two-year extension because a lot of acrimony could have been avoided, said Culham. That two-year delay has occurred anyway because of the protracted legal negotiations. "It's clear we didn't need the building and it's not in as bad shape" as was indicated in reports which originally went to council, said Culham. The councillor said he has no difficulty with the City removing tenants if there is a strong public need for the property. "But you have to ensure you're doing it for the right reasons," he said. The issue of how "a caring urban society" deals with abandoned animals outside of the public pound system remains unresolved, says Culham. Adds Lois Stevens of the way things have unfolded: "The only ones who lost out were the animals." PLEEASSE SIGN OUR PETITION It will make a difference! Home Page - Main Table of Contents - Back up a page - Back to Top [COMMENTS BY DON B. - ] |
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