Seniors Could Lose Pets or Face Eviction


Rules are rules. That's what governments often proclaim.

That's what's happening to the senior community in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, where 7 residents are being asked to part with their pets or face eviction. A spokesperson with the Conservative Party's Provincial Government Department of Social Development has said that pets have always been inadmissable inside the units.

New Democratic Party Leader Dominic Cardy has contacted Social Development Minister Sue Stultz asking for a reversal of the order.

"Some of these folks have had their pets for years, and there was never any problem. So why are they getting eviction notices in the middle of the winter?" Cardy said in a statement that was quoted by cbcnews New Brunswick.

“Sharing your house with a pet relieves symptoms of depression and feelings of isolation and loss. It is hard enough being a senior on a fixed income, does the Conservative government really need to make things worse?” the media source wrote.

Residents who could lose their pets claim they will suffer psychological loss, even depression. Agnes Burges-Mitchell will surrender her cat Lily to the authorities if the eviction notice goes through.

"For two days I couldn't even think. I sat in the chesterfield," she told the media source.

The Provincial Government says the ruling is due to a resident's complaint.

Pet therapy is popular in Assisted Living and Continuing Care residences.