Winnipeg's pit bull ban was back in the spotlight at city hall Monday where a city committee heard arguments on whether to overturn Canada's first ban on the breed.

Pit bulls have been illegal in Winnipeg for 21 years, frustrating Manitobans who say they are barred from moving to Winnipeg simply because they own a pit bull.

"I think it's ridiculous that I, as a tax-paying, law-abiding citizen with a well behaved dog wouldn't be allowed to (move to Winnipeg)," says pit bull owner Kate Simpkins. "Yet if I were a sex offender or a murderer I would be allowed to."

Simpkins agrees with a handful of pit bull owners who spoke at Monday's five hour long committee meeting in Winnipeg. Ashley Reid says bad owners are to blame for pit bull aggression, not bad dogs.

"What I'm asking for is fairness for all dogs," says Reid. "Like we have fairness for all people."

Councillor Gord Steeves heard the arguments but isn't convinced lifting the ban is the right move.

"Nobody in my recollection denied the proposition that this dog is particularly dangerous if it's mistrained or abused," he says. "And I still have that belief."

The report on pit bulls won't be back to city hall until June. A decision on whether to overturn the ban isn't expected until late spring or early summer.

-With a report from CTV's Laura Lowe