The Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) Act, 2019 has received Royal Assent and will come into force in Ontario on January 1, 2020. The Act and the new provincial enforcement model consist of a Chief Animal Welfare Inspector, locally deployed provincial inspectors and specialized inspectors for agriculture, zoos, aquariums and equine.
To facilitate implementation of the new model by January 1, 2020, transitional regulations have been made to ensure animals are protected while long-term regulations are developed through consultation. The transitional regulations are as follows:
Standards of Care and Administrative Requirements: Contains basic standards of care applicable to all animals that fall under the Act and standards of care specific to dogs that live primarily outdoors, wildlife kept in captivity, captive primates, and marine mammals kept in captivity.