Whether you support the Luxton Rodeo or not, the Langford electorate should be concerned about the refusal by Langford council to address an issue that concerns some of its constituents.
Melissa de Meulles-Wolfe, founder of Victoria Citizens Against Rodeo Events, has communicated with Langford city hall for two years and was stalled and deferred until they simply stopped replying to her emails.
Their final word to de Meulles-Wolfe was: “All information you provided to the city was forwarded to council for their review and staff have received direction that it will not be placed on a council agenda.”
Mayor Stew Young stated that he “does not want his council weighing in on the discussion because the politicians are not experts on animal-safety issues.” (Times Colonist, Aug, 24, 2012)
Despite letters from the B.C. SPCA, Vancouver Humane Society and a local veterinarian with extensive experience in livestock care, Young said: “If they’re being inhumane, and [the groups] can prove it, then change it, but I have no authority over these types of issues.”
Young’s claim that Langford council has no authority over these types of issues is evasive and simply not true. Victoria and Oak Bay have animal bylaws that prevent the operation of a rodeo, and Vancouver’s bylaws specifically prohibit rodeos.
If Langford council agreed to place the issue of the Luxton Rodeo on its agenda, I would be pleasantly surprised if the issue received an objective appraisal.
Steve Huxter
Oak Bay
