Jean Roy, the man known as Victoriaville’s urban cowboy, was recently hit with over $8,000 in fines for a variety of infractions, including having his horse in a public place and failing to clean up after said horse. Victoriaville, Quebec, a city of 46,000 once known as the home of a famous hockey stick, is now considered the “economic engine” of the centre of Quebec. 

The city rewrote its bylaws to win a court victory against Roy and protect the public. City lawyer Rosane Roy told the Journal de Montréal that the bylaw was needed, “Several people expressed their fear of the horse, and up until then, no bylaw prevented horsemen from riding in parks or other places during gatherings.”

In an interview, Roy was defiant, saying he has no intention of stopping his regular trips into town on his horse, Dandy Blue Pine. “They won’t intimidate me when I know my cause is a noble one,” he said, saying horses have a place in the city.

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Photo: Jean Roy/Facebook