New animal bylaw focuses on dog attacks, feral cat population

Animal rescue organizations in Edmonton are welcoming changes being made to the city's animal control bylaw. CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson reports.

Edmonton’s new Animal Care and Control Bylaw aims to manage the city’s feral cat population and adds stricter regulations and fines for dog attacks.

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Since the pandemic, the animal population in the city has increased significantly, prompting council to change the 20-year-old bylaw.

“We’ve heard and seen rises in the number of dog attacks, also the number of serious injuries and even deaths that happen as a result of those attacks,” said John Wilson, director of Animal Care and Park Rangers for the City of Edmonton. “We knew we had to do something.”

The city said it has seen a 15 per cent increase in dog attacks since 2020.

Fines for dog attacks now range from $250 to $3,000. If a dog has been convicted of an attack in the past and acts again, fines can range from $2,500 to $7,000. There is also a “double fine” for dogs that are convicted of attacks subsequent to their first.

Prior to the bylaw change, Edmonton had lower fines in comparison with other Canadian cities.

“Now we have fines that reflect the seriousness of dog attacks and dog bites,” said Wilson. “These fines will act as a deterrent and allow us to better hold people accountable when dog attacks harm people.”

Over the last few years, the city has seen around 1,000 dog attacks annually.

Under the bylaw, dog attacks are assessed under the widely-used Dunbar Dog Bite Scale.

Dogs identified as vicious may be required to complete training by a professional dog trainer.

Feral cats

Wilson said that with the bylaw, Animal Care and Control hopes to better manage Edmonton’s feral cat population.

“This is a community problem that has been allowed to grow for many, many years, and it’s going to take community collaboration to actually address it,” said Wilson. “It gives us a legislative framework to authorize Trap-Neuter-Return programs.”

The bylaw no longer differentiates between feral cats and unknown cats, allowing volunteers and community members to provide care to cats without them being accountable for ownership.

“Removing that barrier enables us to hopefully work better with these folks in the community and actually collaborate,” said Wilson.

The city estimates there are about 70,000 feral cats in Edmonton, with just 600 entering the Animal Care and Control Centre annually.

Community consultation on the bylaw changes began in 2023 and included public opinion research and engagement as well as discourse with interested parties like the Edmonton Humane Society (EHS).

“This updated bylaw fills gaps in Edmonton’s animal welfare framework, giving the city stronger tools to enforce responsible pet ownership and hold people accountable when animals are at risk,” said Liza Sunley, CEO of EHS. “It reflects years of collaboration between the city, community members, and organizations like ours that are committed to protecting animals and the community we share with them.”

While pet licensing fees will increase $1 every year for the next three years, the city is expanding its subsidy program for seniors and low-income pet owners as pet-care becomes increasingly expensive.

Animal Care and Control will also be able to provide free licenses to registered non-profit charities involved in animal rescue work.

The bylaw also changes rules and regulations around hens and bees to reflect the growing interest in urban agriculture, said Wilson.

City council unanimously passed changes to the Animal Care and Control Bylaw on Tuesday. Amendments will come into effect on May 19, 2026.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson