Bottom line

In Ontario:

The Innkeepers Act does NOT apply to unpaid barn rental with no services.

Custodian responsibility DOES apply.

Non-payment or rent = loss of permission to be on the property EVEN if horses are left there.

Refusal to leave = trespass.

Horses cannot be used as leverage to squat.

Barn owners have both the right — and the obligation — to act.

Custodian Responsibility vs. the Innkeepers Act — What Actually Applies

There is growing confusion around whether the Innkeepers Act prevents barn owners from acting when someone refuses to pay rent and leaves horses behind.

In a barn-rental-only situation, the law is clear.

❌ The Innkeepers Act does NOT apply here

The Innkeepers Act was designed for hotels and lodging for people, not agricultural buildings or private barns.

It does not apply when:

A barn is rented privately

No accommodation for people is provided

No board, feed, or care is provided

No services are being rendered

Rent has not been paid

A barn owner renting empty stall space is not an innkeeper.

There is:

No “guest”

No “inn”

No service-based lien

No board = no lien under the Innkeepers Act.

A claim we are seeing more and more often is that a barn owner is somehow prevented from acting because of Ontario’s Innkeepers Act.

That claim is wrong in law in a barn-rental-only situation.

Under Ontario’s Innkeepers Act, a lien over a guest’s property can arise only when BOTH of the following conditions are met:

Services are actually provided, and

Charges are owed for those services

In the current cases we are seeing with the Redlicks — and in many similar cases across Ontario — no services are being provided at all.

If the barn owner is:

❌ Not feeding
❌ Not watering
❌ Not mucking
❌ Not providing care
❌ Not providing supervision

There is NOT ANY service-based lien under the Innkeepers Act.

Simply renting empty stall or barn space does not create an innkeeper–guest relationship, and it does not give rise to an innkeeper’s lien.

Renting space alone is not enough.

Non-payment of rent ends permission

When barn rent is not paid:

The agreement is breached

Permission to occupy the barn can be revoked

The person keeping horses there loses the right to remain

This is contract law, not tenancy law.

Once permission is withdrawn, continued presence is trespass.

Custodian status DOES apply — and this is critical

While the Innkeepers Act does not apply, Ontario’s Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act (PAWS) does.

Under PAWS, a person can become a custodian simply by:

Allowing animals to remain on their property

Knowing the animals are there

Providing shelter (even unintentionally)

⚠️ Even if NO feed, water, or care is provided, the property owner can still be exposed to liability if animals are neglected or harmed.

This is why doing nothing is dangerous for barn owners.

Can the horses be moved?

Yes.

When:

Rent has not been paid

Permission has been revoked

The owner refuses to remove the horses

The barn owner faces welfare or legal liability

The barn owner may:

Arrange for the horses to be removed

Move them to a safe location

Seek a veterinary assessment

Contact Animal Welfare Services (PAWS)

Act to protect the animals and their property

This is not theft when properly documented and done to prevent harm.

“But we were told the Innkeepers Act stops us”

This is a common and incorrect claim.

The Innkeepers Act does NOT override:

Property rights

Contract law

Trespass law

Animal welfare obligations

It cannot be used to force a barn owner to host unpaid horses indefinitely.

When ANIMAL WELFARE SERVICES should be called

Call Animal Welfare Services if:

Horses are being used to force continued access

The owner is absent or uncooperative

Welfare standards are uncertain

You are being told to “wait” while liability grows

ANIMAL WELFARE SERVICES can:

Issue orders

Direct removal

Declare abandonment

Provide protection for the property owner

Practical steps for barn owners

Put termination in writing (text/email is sufficient)

Set a clear removal deadline

Document unpaid rent

Photograph stall and horse conditions

Keep all communication

Contact police for trespass if necessary

Contact PAWS if welfare is at risk

Are the horses “abandoned” if barn rent isn’t paid and they aren’t moved?

Short answer…

Not automatically.

Non-payment of rent alone does not instantly make horses “abandoned” under Ontario law.

However, continued failure to act after notice, combined with lack of care or refusal to retrieve the horses, can lead to a finding of abandonment — but that determination is made by Animal Welfare Services (PAWS), not the barn owner.

What “abandonment” means under PAWS.

Under the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 (PAWS), abandonment is not defined by one single act.

It is assessed based on conduct and circumstances, including:

Failure to provide adequate care

Failure to make arrangements for care

Leaving animals without reasonable supervision

Refusing or failing to retrieve animals after being directed to do so

Allowing animals to remain where their welfare is at risk

Unpaid rent + refusal to remove horses + no meaningful care can support an abandonment finding — but PAWS must make that call.

Can the barn owner declare the horses abandoned?

No.

A barn owner cannot unilaterally declare horses abandoned and take ownership simply because rent hasn’t been paid.

Doing so risks:

Civil liability
Criminal allegations (theft / conversion)
Complicating PAWS enforcement
This is a key distinction.

Can the barn owner sell the horses?

No — not without PAWS or a court order.

In your fact pattern:
No board provided
No agister’s lien
No innkeeper’s lien
No court judgment

The barn owner does NOT have the legal authority to sell the horses.

Selling them without legal authority would be high risk and could expose the barn owner to serious legal consequences.

Can Animal Welfare Services of Ontario step in and seize the horses?

YES — and this is the correct pathway.

Under PAWS, Animal Welfare Services (AWS) can:

Attend the property

Assess welfare

Issue orders to the horse owner

Set deadlines for compliance or removal

Seize the horses if:

They are in distress

Orders are not complied with

The owner is absent, uncooperative, or refuses to act

The situation amounts to abandonment

Once AWS seizes the animals, they — not the barn owner — control disposition.

That may include:

Transfer to a rescue
Sale
Adoption
Long-term placement
Euthanasia (if medically necessary)

This protects the barn owner from liability.

What the barn owner can do (and should do)

Step-by-step safest route:

Terminate the barn rental in writing
Set a clear deadline for removal of horses
Document non-payment and non-compliance
Contact Animal Welfare Services (PAWS)

Advise PAWS that:

Horses are on your property
Rent is unpaid
Permission is revoked
You cannot assume care
You are concerned about welfare and liability

Do not sell or rehome the horses yourself

Cooperate fully with PAWS or police attendance

Why PAWS involvement matters

Once PAWS is involved:

The abandonment determination is legally grounded
The barn owner is shielded from accusations
The animals’ welfare is prioritized
Disposition is handled lawfully

This is exactly how the legislation is designed to work.

BOTTOM LINE: 

Unpaid rent alone ≠ automatic abandonment
Barn owner cannot sell the horses
PAWS can assess, order removal, and seize
Abandonment determinations belong to PAWS
Acting unilaterally creates risk
Calling PAWS protects everyone — especially the animals – OR at least it is designed to.

REFERENCES:

Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 (S.O. 2019, c. 13)

Custodian definition and duties regarding animal distress and care.

Trespass to Property Act (R.S.O. 1990, c. T.21)

Authority to revoke permission and address unauthorized presence on private property.

Innkeepers Act (R.S.O. 1990, c. I.7)

Applies to inns/hotels providing lodging to the public — not private barn rentals without services.

Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (S.O. 2006, c. 17)

Generally excludes agricultural and non-residential premises such as barns.

Stephanie Redlick hides behind numerous aliases, operating over 30 Facebook accounts and multiple Kijiji profiles under fake names.

Even though Redlick is facing criminal and animal welfare charges she's not stopped creating new profiles to attempt to publicly discredit anyone speaking out against her.

Janice Wilson

Serena  @serena10457

Julie Hyde

Jane Smith

Madison O'Donald

Naomi Reid

Aless Stephanie

Alessia King

Above the Stars Equine Rescue (SCAM)

Under the Stars Equine Rescue

Stephanie Quickfall

HorseSales.com

Stephanie Schwartz

Doug Almira

Silverbrook Meadows

Carl Dickson

Jeff Lawson

Rainbow Bridge Stock Removal

Healthy Equine Homeopathy

Healthy Horse Homeopathy

Stephanie Redlick has more than a few phone numbers including:

(226) 988-2005 | (647) 220-3691 | (437) 600-7158 | (647) 695-3057 | (705) 998-7705 | (613) 263-0641 | (647) 797-0289 | (705) 315-0588 | (316) 746-8529 | (647) 474-4071 | (705) 535-0525 | (705) 300-0340 | (226) 988-6961 | * (416) 885-9422 |  (226) 988-2005 | (705) 370-6661 | (647) 365-1265 | (705) 995-3697 | (778) 400-0408 | (905) 334-8077 | (416) 507-6450 | Douglas: (647) 462-7004 | (705) 809-0249

Many people have stayed silent out of fear—because anyone who speaks out about Redlick's behaviour becomes a target.

Stephanie Redlick's default tactic is to aggressively smear and discredit anyone who dares to expose the truth which only makes us more determined to raise awareness and demand accountability from Ontario’s Animal Welfare Services.

Every year thousands of horses are routinely slaughtered in Canada, for human consumption, but you can help us ban horse slaughter in Canada and beyond.

Some of the meat is consumed in Canada, and much of it is shipped to the European Union, and other markets, including Japan.

This barbaric practice is currently not legal in the United States, so horses from the United States are shipped to Canada, and to Mexico, to be slaughtered.

In addition Canada allows for the transportation of live horses to Japan to be slaughtered for human consumption, and unfortunately the transportation of horses destined for slaughter within Canada, and by air to Japan for slaughter, is far from humane.

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