The Manitoba Reptile Breeder’s Expo (MRBE) returns to Winnipeg’s Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre from Oct. 4 - 5, and brings with it the debate on city bylaw 92-2013 - a law restricting species of reptiles, arachnids and other exotic pets within city limits. 

Steven Rempel, 30, owner of Prairie Exotics reptile and insect breeder, and part owner of the MRBE is critical of the City Council members who enacted
the bylaw.

“They’re politicians, they don’t know anything about these types of animals,” Rempel, a longtime herpetology hobbyist, says. “They rely on other people for their information and not always the proper people.”

Bylaw 92-2013, also known as the Responsible Pet Ownership By-law, was enacted in July 2013. A month later the debate over which animals were safe to keep in the city continued when Animal Services Officers seized a restricted 60 cm baby alligator from a St. Vital home in August of last year.

Since 2007, the Expo has been a staple of the local exotic pet community but the bylaw is having a noticeable financial effect on MRBE vendors.

Dave Shelvey, 45, owner of Westmen Reptile Garden and former MRBE vendor blames the bylaw for his dissatisfaction with the most recent Expo in July of this year.

“Because of the bylaws, you’re so limited to what you can bring (to the expo) that you get 15 people all bringing the same animals,” Shelvey says. “I actually lost money in July.”

Shelvey, whose organization has abandoned plans to attend October’s MRBE, insists bylaw 92-2013 is poorly conceived.

“It’s the most ridiculous bylaw I’ve ever seen,” Shelvey says. “You have uneducated people making these laws, flexing their muscle and putting through a bylaw that makes no sense.”

Instead Shelvey suggests putting together a committee of animal experts who would get the bylaw “right
this time.”  

However, Rempel is confident that the bylaw has not financially affected the MRBE.

“[The bylaw] does change what we’re allowed to bring into the city,” Rempel concedes. “But with a large collection like ours, we just make sure that the things that we do bring are legal. It was a great experience for us in July and we’re looking forward to October.”

Still Shelvey has another fear - one that isn’t financial. He is worried banning some animals, including alligators and venomous snakes, will cause more problems by forcing illegal pet owners into hiding.

“Why not allow a controlled permit registration, with restrictions?” Shelvey says. “I think you’re far better off knowing where these animals are, so if your house catches on fire, firefighters know what they’re heading into.”

And as with any controlled or restricted product, there is always someone looking to buy what they can’t have and someone willing to sell.

“Unfortunately, the ease of access to these things is just like drugs or guns. If someone wants something, they can get it,” Rempel says, including alligators for about $100.

“They’re not illegal to be imported into the country. There are places all across Canada where they are legal to eat. There are farms in other countries that export these animals by
the hundreds.”

The Manitoba Reptile Breeder’s Expo happens Oct. 4 & 5 at the Victoria Inn. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Published in Volume 69, Number 5 of The Uniter (October 1, 2014)