Did Denis Coderre move too quickly on the pit bull bylaw?

This story has been updated to reflect that the suspension ofMontreal'sbull-type dogs was extended Wednesdayuntil there is a final court rulingon theSPCA's legal challenge of the bylaw.

This summer, only 10 days after a Montreal resident,Christiane Vadnais, was fatally mauled by a dog in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Denis Coderrepledged tointroduce new rules by September for pit bulls and other dogs deemed dangerous.

At the time, the mayor promised "a balanced approach" that would allowexisting owners to keep their pit bulls under certain conditions.

With the city's new bylaw suspendedfollowing a legal challenge bythe SPCA and widespread protests, however,many are wondering if Coderre succeeded in strikingthe right balance or if the bylawwas too hastily prepared.

The unfolding controversyis part of a pattern emerging during Coderre's time in office: Act quickly and deal with the fallout later.

They want to go fast, for the photo-op and the announcement.- ValriePlante, ProjetMontral

Earlier this year, Coderremade the sudden decision toimposea one-year ban onhorse-drawn calches, even though permits had already been issued for the tourist season.

The move came after a number of widely sharedvideos showedhorses colliding with cars andapparently suffering in the heat.

The moratorium was challenged immediately by calche drivers, and aQuebec Superior Court justice granted an injunction that overturnedthe ban,rulingthe city had overstepped its authority.

At that point, Coderredecided to abandon the idea altogether, saying, "I won't spend the summer battling one injunction after another."

Projects trumpeted, then delayed or abandoned

Some of theprojects he planned for Montreal's375thanniversary have also been scaled back or have beensubject to delays.

Last month, the city was forced to temporarilysuspendits $28-million plan for Viger Square becauseit still needed approval from Quebec's Transport Ministry.

• Will Montreal's 375th celebrations cement Coderre's legacy or be his undoing?

The early stages of preparation weresupposed to be completed by the end of October,but thetarget dateis now sometime next spring.

"They want to go fast, for the photo-op and the announcement," saidValriePlante, aProjetMontralcity councillorwho is hoping to go head to head with Coderre in next year's municipal election.

Another project, the overhaul ofPlaceJacques-Cartier in Old Montreal, wasscrapped entirely after restaurantsraised concerns about the project.

Is breed-specific ban enforceable?

When it comes to pit bulls, debate has swirled aroundwhether there should be a breed-specific banor whether it would even be enforceable.

The judge at Monday's court hearing of anSPCAbid to have the new rules governing pit bulls suspendedhad concerns of his own.

Chief among them is how a "pit bull-type dog" is defined.

"I won't hide from you that in my reading of the bylaw I had several questions," Quebec Superior Court Justice LouisGouinsaidto thecity's legal representative,RenCadieux.

"Are we talking about first generation crosses? Do we go back to the grandparents?"

The city doesn't appear to have an answer to that question.

If it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, it's got to be a duck.- City lawyerRenCadieuxon how to identify a pit bull

In defending the bylaw,Cadieuxargued the city shouldn't have to presentconcrete scientific evidence to supportbreed-specific legislation, citing an earlier ruling in Ontario.

When pressed to explain how the city will discern which dog isa pit bull,Cadieuxoffered up one-liners that did little to dispel the perception the ruleshad been rushed intolaw.

"If it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, it's got to be a duck," he said.

He added that,when it comes to identifying a pit bull, "It's like pornography.You know it when you see it."

• Pit bull owners dogged by confusion over how to prove a breed

For many owners, however, the issue remainsfar from clear.

In the week leading up to Monday's ban, many dog owners still weren't surehow to prove their pet'sbreed or how registration for a pit bull permit would work.

The Opposition Projet Montral, which opposed the bylaw, has slammed the Coderre administration for failing toopen up the debate over the new ruleto public and expert participation.

A second court challenge is also being planned bya Montreal-basedcoalitionoflawyers and experts in animal behaviour.

Even if one of these legal challenges succeeds in seeing Montreal's new bylaw repealed, the Quebec government is working on itsownprovincial legislation. But it has taken a different approach in rolling it out.

Premier Philippe Couillardassembled a working group prior to laying out his plan andhas yet to table any legislation, saying onlythat the province would likely followOntario's lead.

• What Canadian cities have learned from pit bull bans