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By: Nick Liard

Sudbury city council has decided to take animal control bylaw enforcement in-house.

Currently those services were done by the contract holder but council voted 9-4 in favour of making the move as both a cost saving measure and a way to better regulate the services.

Ward 12 Councillor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann, who was one of the nine in favour, says this is an opportunity for something different.

Ward 3 Councillor Jerry Montpellier voted no and questioned the experience staff has compared to those who do it currently.

City Clerk Caroline Hallsworth was asked how city bylaw officers would be able to keep up with the added work, she says now that this is council’s decision, they will be able to have bylaw officers 24 hours of the day and on weekends, something they haven’t been able to offer before.

The current contract expires as of October 31st and staff says they will look to hire the equivalent of three full time bylaw officers by that time.

Manager of Rainbow District Animal Control and Shelter Services, Richard Paquette isn’t sure if he ever wants to work with the city again.

Directly after the council meeting Paquette held a meeting with his staff informing them as of November 1st they would be without a job.

Paquette says his staff has worked hard for the city and this might be the end.

He also says the service level will suffer.

The Rainbow District Shelter can still bid on pound services but once the animal control contract expires October 31st, city bylaw officers will be trained to deal with animal control.