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905-849-4998 www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665 A+ Rating comwww. *See dealer for details 9 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU BETTER #1 in Home Comfort Since 1990 We service Lennox *Call for details, offers cannot be combined, On new orders only ** OAC Prime rate subject to change. ELIGIBLE FOR$3830* IN GOVERNMENT & FACTORY REBATES* UP TO System for Your Home GAS FURNACE, CENTRAL AIR, AIR PURIFIER & HUMIDIFIER Or Central Air Conditioner from $39/month** THE BIGGEST SALE EVER SAME DAY INSTALLATIONS AVAILABLE Furnace Diagnostic Service ONLY $49 $89/month** Join the Fun Ask About Birthday Partie s Get Your Wheels in Motion 2105 Royal Windsor Drive (just west of Southdown Road) www.scooters.on.c a (905) 823-4001 Scooters Roller Palace Public Skating Bowling Gifts Billiards Video Games Snack Bar w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Th ur sd ay , D ec em be r 1 6, 2 01 0 1 2 Anyone who wants a hippopotamus for Christmas had better not live in Oakville or they will be very disappointed. Town staff unveiled a proposal for an updated animal bylaw during Tuesdays Administrative Services Committee meeting, which among other things, bans a person from keeping a hippopotamus anywhere within the Town of Oakville. The hippopotamus is one of an extensive group of pro- hibited animals listed in the updated bylaw. Other animals people are prohibited from owning in Oakville include elephants, kangaroos, crocodiles, ven- omous snakes or snakes that reach an adult length of more than three metres, sloths, monkeys, lions, tigers and bears, to name a few. The proposed bylaw was created after council directed Town staff, in consultation with the Oakville and Milton Humane Society, to report back on improvements to ani- mal regulations within the Town. If approved by council on Monday, the bylaw will con- dense 29 other animal-related bylaws into one document, along with some updates. This means all existing animal bylaws, such as the requirement that residents pick up after their dogs, are still in effect. Proposed updates not only provide an extensive list of prohibited animals, but outline changes in policy regard- ing some domestic animals. With Oakville experiencing an explosion in the cat pop- ulation the Town is encouraging people to spay or neuter their cats by calling for an increase to the tag fee for a cat that has not been spayed or neutered from $10 to $30. The cost of a tag for a spayed or neutered cat would still be $10. The fees for cat and dog impoundment would also go up from $20 for the first day of impoundment and $10 for each additional day to $25 for the first day and $15 for each additional day. In his report to the committee Assistant Clerk Phil Bouillion said these fees are being raised in an attempt to stop owners from allowing their cats and dogs to roam at large. The surcharge a person must pay if their cat is caught without an Oakville identification tag is also facing a pro- posed increase from $10 to $15. All of these proposed fee increases are intended to help the Oakville and Milton Humane Society to recover the costs it absorbs in feeding, caring for and addressing the medical needs of the many cats and dogs staying at its facility. The bylaw also proposes a more flexible licencing issuance model for dogs with one year passing before the licence needs to be renewed. The updated bylaw also classifies mice, rabbits, gerbils, ferrets, hamsters, guinea pigs and other rodentia, which do not exceed 1,500 grams and are derived from a self-sus- taining captive population, as restricted animals. This means only two can be kept in any dwelling unit within the Town of Oakville. Violating any of part of the existing bylaws or the pro- posed updates (once passed) present in the new bylaw can result in a fine of up to $5,000. A corporation, which violates any part of the existing bylaws or the updates (once passed), in the new bylaw can receive a fine of up to $50,000. Cross hippopotamus off Christmas list New bylaw expands scope of ban on exotic animals