The Ontario government has asked the province's animal welfare agency to delay its plan to stop enforcing cruelty laws until the end of the year.
In a letter to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the minister of community safety says the government will introduce new animal welfare legislation in the fall.
On March 4, the OSPCA told the government it would no longer enforce animal cruelty laws when its current contract expires on April 1.
The charity has said the cost of investigating more than 15,000 cases per year has become too burdensome and surpasses the $5.75 million it receives annually from the government.
In early January, an Ontario court ruled the government erred when it gave the OSPCA policing powers without also imposing accountability and transparency standards.
The OSPCA has said that ruling was the catalyst to abdicating its role as it shifts its focus from enforcement to its shelter business.
