TORONTO

The Ontario government introduced legislation Monday to make it illegal to bring any more killer whales into the province.

Community Safety Minister Yasir Naqvi said proposed amendments to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act would also allow for new standards of care for marine mammals in captivity, such as mandating the size of enclosures and placing limits on noise exposure.

If the bill passes, the regulations setting new standards should be in place this summer, he said.

“This will make Ontario the first Canadian jurisdiction to have specific standards of care for marine animals,” Naqvi said.

The government has yet to determine exactly what the standards will be, and intends to consult with an advisory panel that includes animal care experts and a representative of Marineland, the company that appears most impacted by the legislation.

The bill would outlaw the acquisition and breeding of orcas in Ontario while grandfathering the only killer whale in captivity — Kiska, who lives at Marineland.

Last year, the company told the Toronto Sun’s sister paper, the Niagara Falls Review, that Kiska has retired from performing and staff is ensuring a “comfortable, calm and care-free” retirement.

Killer whales in the wild travel in pods of up to 30 whales, and cannot properly be accommodated in captivity, Naqvi said.

Other marine mammals, including Beluga whales, can be kept with appropriate standards of care, he added.

Although background material provided by Naqvi’s ministry suggested Ontario would be proposing enclosures that are much larger than mandated in the United States, the minister acknowledged that the final regulations are still up for discussion.

Marineland said in a statement that it supports the government’s commitment to seek guidance from experts on appropriate standards of care for marine mammals.

“Marineland believes it is essential that the process remain focused on the health and welfare of marine mammals, the decades of scientific research and experience that should inform the setting of standards, and on achieving clear and enforceable standards,” the statement said.

“We support the government’s view that legal standards need to be based on science, not political ideologies or public relations, and the Technical Advisory Committee and the government’s own expert panel report should provide the basis on which to proceed.”

antonella.artuso@sunmedia.ca