The case of a St.Catharines vet facing 16 charges came up in a St. Catharines courtroom today.
Dr. Mahavir Rekhi's lawyer appeared in criminal court, while the vet did not appear in person.
It's not clear why the original court date of July 14th was moved to this morning.
The case will be brought forward again on August 28th.
The St. Catharines vet, who had his licence suspended after he was caught on video abusing animals in his care is facing 16 counts of animal cruelty under the Criminal Code of Canada.
Rekhi is facing 8 indictable counts of causing unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal and 8 indictable counts of failing to provide suitable and adequate care for an animal.
If found guilty, Rekhi could face a lifetime ban on owning or caring for an animal, a $10,000 fine, and up to 5 years in jail.
The vet who operates Skyway Animal Hospital on Welland Avenue re-opened his clinic in February after serving a 6 month suspension from the Ontario College of Veterinarians (OCV).
Rekhi was suspended and fined $10,000 after clinic staff and former employees made complaints to the college.
The case made national headlines when the complainants went public with the video evidence, following what they believed, was too light a penalty from the OCV.
In September, Kevin Strooband, an investigator with the OSPCA and executive director of the Lincoln County Humane Society, began an investigation after learning about the case.
He executed a search warrant on Dec. 7 with Niagara Regional Police and seized files.
When we called the clinic today, the answering machine message states that the Welland Ave. clinic is open two days a week.
The clinic's operating hours are Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am-1pm.