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The Montreal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has filed a lawsuit against the city of Montreal contesting its newly adopted municipal bylaw that bans pit bulls.

The Montreal SPCA, a charitable organization that provides services to animals, filed a motion to overturn portions of the bylaw in Quebec Superior Court on Wednesday, a day after city council passed it.

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Citing the urgency of the situation because the regulation is to go into effect on Oct. 3, the SPCA says it will be in court on Thursday to ask a judge to suspend application of the provisions that pertain to pit-bull-type dogs pending a hearing to overturn those provisions as illegal and unconstitutional.

“The argument is that there are serious legal issues with the bylaw, there is serious prejudice (and) harm that will occur and that it’s irreparable,” Alanna Devine, director of animal advocacy for the Montreal SPCA, said. She added that the organization made several attempts to explain its concerns to city officials before the bylaw was passed.