A group of 35 landowners gathered in a Perth courtroom to listen to the proceedings of the first hearing in the application to question the constitutionality of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) Act. The court date was to hear a motion by the Attorney General of Ontario to have the Application thrown out on technical grounds.
The hearing was to commence at 2 PM. There was a sense of suspense when Justice Abrams, the presiding judge, finally appeared at 2:55 PM. Justice Abrams immediately announced that he was recusing himself from the case. He apologized to the landowners in attendance, stating that he understood the inconvenience and knew that some had travelled a great distance.
Abrams further explained that dockets are sometimes not available until just before the trail starts, and that this was the case in this situation.
The hearing has been rescheduled to January 29, 2016 at 2 PM at the Perth Courthouse, 43 Drummond Street East, Perth, Ontario. This hearing is open to the public and we can demonstrate our interest in this matter be attending. As always, court decorum must be respected.
For background and information on this process, please visit www.fixthelaw.ca.