MONTREAL -- A judge has denied an injunction request from caleche owners in Montreal hoping to block the city's imminent ban on the horse-drawn carriages.
The owners had been arguing that the city doesn't have the legal authority to ban the caleches, which are particularly popular with tourists in Montreal.
"We're behind the threat of the city, destroying our life and destroying our business," said Luc Desparois, who owns Lucky Luc stables. "We always had some hope along the way [that the ban would be stopped]."
The injunction would have allowed the caleches to continue to operate during the lucrative winter months.
The bylaw banning caleches from Montreal streets is to take effect Jan. 1.
It was introduced in June 2018 following the deaths of a caleche horse, which came on the heels of injuries to several other horses.
As part of the bylaw, the city is offering caleche owners $1,000 per horse and training in other tourism industry jobs.
The horses will be retired to the countryside.
Valerie Plante on Friday took to twitter to celebrate the news, tweeting: "It’s official: December 31st will mark the end of horse-drawn carriages (calèches) in Montreal. This decision confirms that our bylaw is fair and sound. Our administration made a promise and we delivered. Montréal is an animal-friendly city."
