Canada: Saskatoon sees no need for shark fin bylaw

Saskatoon, a city in central Saskatchewan in Canada, is currently not interested in a shark fin bylaw.

In a report going to a committee next week, city officials say a bylaw banning the Chinese delicacy would be ineffective. The full text of the report, dated 27. January 2014, is posted below.

Several municipalities in British Columbia and Ontario have banned the possession and sale of shark fin products.

In 2011, a shark fin ban was approved in Toronto, with fines as high as $100,000 for repeat offenders. But the Toronto ban was overturned in court in November 2012.

The Saskatoon report cites the Toronto court ruling, saying such a bylaw would be ineffective because it is not within the city’s jurisdiction.

Furthermore, a local research shows that the market for shark fins in Saskatoon is virtually non-existent, and therefore a bylaw is not needed.

But on the other hand, the report points out that Saskatoon authorities may have the ability to regulate the possession or distribution of shark fins if there is evidence that shark fin consumption poses a risk to the health of people within the city. But officials say that no such evidence has been identified at present.

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