In the early years of Thessalon cows were initially allowed to roam the streets at will, as they helped to keep grass short and it saved their owners money by not having to rent pastures or buy feed.

HOWEVER...

Cows are not known for being..."street broken" shall we say...and this issue was raised at many town meetings. It never appeared to be dealt with until 1918 when councilors Frank Chisholm and James Town got a bylaw passed that decreed "that all cows were allowed to run at large during the hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and they must be shut up or tethered from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m."

This was due in part due to repeated complaints from unsuspecting citizens and visitors who had unfortunate encounters with sleeping cows in the dark of night. After stumbling on a cow or over one, they were then hoisted into the air and or dumped onto the ground when the animal attempted to get to its feet.