The collision of a horse-drawn carriage and a vehicle in Old Montreal has triggered renewed calls for the city to scrap its caleche industry.
"The city is not an appropriate place for horses," Montreal's SPCA said in a translated Facebook post, after video surface of the collision.
In the video, a white horse pulling an empty carriage can be seen stumbling onto the roof of a car at an intersection in Montreal. The horse manages to get off the car and stumbles a few more times before getting to its feet and trotting away. The footage shows the vehicle's mirror was damaged in the collision.
"Unfortunately, this kind of incident is not uncommon in our town," the SPCA said. "Each year, the SPCA of Montreal receives hundreds of complaints from citizens regarding the conditions of work and the general state of carriage horses."
The caleche company that owns the horse says the collision was a "silly mistake," and declined to explain further to CTV Montreal.
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said on Thursday that efforts are underway to tighten regulations in Montreal's caleche industry, which he considers to be a part of the city's image.
"The horse is part of our Montreal identity," Coderre told CTV Montreal. He added that the conditions facing caleche horses are a "concern," and the city will continue to look for ways to improve their quality of life.
"The bottom line here is the condition of the horse," he said.
The Montreal SPCA has repeatedly called the caleche industry inhumane. The industry itself has been a fixture in Montreal for over a century, and remains a tourism draw in the city's historic neighbourhoods.
Animal activists say they're planning a protest at Montreal's city hall on Sunday.
