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A calèche horse collapsed and died after apparently suffering breathing problems on the corner of Saint-Jean and Saint-Sacrement streets in Montreal.

READ MORE: Quebec City calèche drivers on strike for better conditions for horses

“It was just gut-wrenching to see an animal that sick and see people care so little about it,” said Chris Romanyk, who said he watched the horse die.

Romanyk said the horse heaved and coughed for around 45 minutes before being detached from the carriage it was pulling.

READ MORE: Video of horse collapsed in Old Montreal renews calls to ban calèche industry

It continued to heave before collapsing on the street and dying, he said.

Police arrived and cordoned off the area so the SPCA could investigate.

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The organization said it “has always been very concerned about the way carriage horses are treated in Montreal and is eager to see the City of Montreal’s long-awaited by-law prohibiting the use of horse-drawn carriages on its territory.”

I also caught up with the late horse's owner, Luc Desparois. He said the 15-year-old horse, named Charlot, was in good health yesterday morning and that the public has an unfairly negative opinion of how horses drawing carriages are treated in Montreal. @Global_Montreal pic.twitter.com/9yLZZRtcnW — Billy Shields (@billyshields) November 5, 2018

The death immediately threw horse-drawn carriages in Montreal back into the spotlight.

READ MORE: Calèche horse collapses in Old Port of Montreal

The practice is slated to be banned after 2019; Romanyk said it should be banned sooner than that.

City Councillor Craig Sauvé said the law’s timetable will remain as is.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the death of Charlot has convinced her more than ever that the caleche industry needs to be shuttered.

“It stays to me: ‘You made the right decision … the calèche industry has no place in Montreal anymore,'” she said.

But she said legal considerations and a desire to help caleche drivers transition out of the business mean she is not prepared to advance the Dec. 31, 2019 date.

The death immediately reignites the debate over horse-drawn carriages in Montreal. The practice is slated to become illegal after 2019. Romanyk, for instance, wants to make it illegal sooner than that, but city officials said they aren't moving the timetable up. @Global_Montreal pic.twitter.com/XEKhXEtx95 — Billy Shields (@billyshields) November 5, 2018

The horse’s owner, Luc Desparois, said the horse was in good shape at the beginning of the day, adding that city residents have misconceptions about the health of carriage horses.

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“Don’t tell me a horse in Montreal is working too hard,” he said.

READ MORE: Caleche horses collapses in Old Port of Montreal

The investigation is now in the hands of provincial authorities under the Ministry of Agriculture.

–With files from the Canadian Press