Poultry Proponents See Backyard Chickens On The Horizon
Laura Lawrence (l) and Jennifer Cote (r)
Prince George, BC – The two city residents behind the push to allow backyard chickens within city limits say they’re down, but not out…
Poultry for PG’s Laura Lawrence and Jennifer Côté appeared before City Council last night to request a zoning bylaw revision that would allow up to six hens to be kept in urban backyards. By a vote of 5-3, Councillors voted against a motion to conduct a pilot project allowing a few residents in certain areas of the city to have chickens for a trial period. And there was no request to have city staff examine the issue any further. (click here, for previous story)
Both women say they were sad to see the motion for a pilot project defeated. “They (Councillors) talked about maybe bringing it up again in strategic planning,” says Lawrence. “I don’t know if that’s feasible for us to bring it up again, (but) we’re definitely going to be looking into it. I don’t think we’re just going to let it go.”
The pair, both stay-at-home moms with businesses, say they’ve spent the past two years doing researching and preparing to bring their request to council. “I do feel like there were definitely some council members who heard what we were saying,” says Lawrence. “I think it just wasn’t the right time for the city at this point – they were saying their ‘dance card’ was just too full right now.”
Côté is hopeful City staff will do some research. “There have been other cities that have done pilot projects as well and, after the pilot project, they have moved with the recommendations to have backyard hens full-time.”
Acting Mayor, Councillor Jillian Merrick, had expressed her desire to see the issue go to City staff for review and input. She felt many of the concerns raised during last night’s presentation were easily addressed. “Sixty percent of BC’s population lives in a community where there is an urban hen bylaw – we are way behind the curve on this.”
“North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burnaby, Terrace, Smithers, Williams Lake, Kamloops, Kelowna – these are all communities that have backyard hen bylaws,” Merrick told her council colleagues.
For her part, Lawrence says Prince George is a green community and it’s time for city residents to be allowed to have chickens in their backyards. “It’s way past due and it’s going to happen eventually.”
“If it’s not going to happen today, it will happen. Maybe not tomorrow, but the next day. We’re not going to give up on it.”
Comments
Go ahead and raise them anyways, it’s not as though the city is going to stop you. Heck, they can’t even enforce the parking bylaws.
Just remember to keep them away from roads because ,you know,chickens like to cross roads.
This will raise the cackle of the 250 chicken hawks…. Cockadoodledoo
😱
Why not just move out to an area that allows chickens? If you really want them that’s a easy solution. You complained about the price of food when you moved here from the lower mainland. So also by moving out of town you can save on paying city taxes as well. Also you won’t be bothering your neighbours etc.
Moving is not really an “easy” solution.
Chickens are not going to bother the neighbours, not sure why everyone keeps using that argument. All you need do is check out the places that allow chickens and you’ll soon discover that 6 chickens are quiet and don’t smell at all. You’ll also notice that your grass is a lot greener and the bugs aren’t so bad.
So, is there any law against having chickens as pets? People have pot bellied pigs as pets, people have dogs and cats as pets that never come in the house, so why can’t you have a few chickens as pets? If you raise them and call them farm animals or poultry then a new bylaw needs to be passed, so don’t raise them as that, simple.
Axman, before my dad moved in with me he had chickens where he used to live.. The smell was fine as he kept it clean and changed it often.. But the chickens where noisy, add someone walking by with a dog and the chickens clucked their brains out.
I have chickens and they are a lot more quiet then the neighbour’s dogs, cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc. They don’t smell nearly as bad as the nearby wood stoves and pot smokers. Spread the manure around your lawn and you’ll have the greenest grass in your neighbourhood.
I’ve had to contend with the occasional fox and that’s about it.
I am sure all the would be chicken farmers would be responsible citizens just like dog and cat owners, think poop.
Not many people are going to be walking their chickens at forests for the world….
Although I respect council’s decision, I’m sure this will come back before council again, as other cities are progressing on this issue.
You have to move pretty far out to have chickens legally. Where I live on the Hart, near Kelly Road School, it is by most people’s standards semi-rural. The gas station a few hundred metres away even doubles as a feed store. Nonetheless, the zoning allows animals only as pets, a maximum of two rabbits or chickens I think it is. Its one thing to prohibit chickens in truly urban neighbourhoods in the bowl, but out here it seems ridiculous. And in fact some people do raise chickens or rabbits, in violation of the by-laws, and as far as I know there are no complaints about it.
Zoning Bylaw 7850 April 30/2007.
Bylaw 8496.
Maximum number of poultry on a lot is.
a. 0 on lots less than 2000M sq
b. 25 on lots that are 2000M sq or greater, but less than 1.0 ha
c. 100 on lots that are 1.0 ha or greater but less tan 4.0 ha
d. Lots 4.0ha or greater no limitations
So. Seems to me that all we need is an amendment to allow 6 poultry on lots less than 2000m sq. with some restrictions.
Perhaps the City should be talking with Nth Van, Vancouver, Burnaby, Terrace, Smithers, Williams Lake, Kamloops, and Kelowna to see how its working out in those areas rather than pretending that they know something about chickens.
Or, they could talk to these other municipalities and pick and choose which bylaw is best suited for us:
City of Vancouver, BC (ss. 7.15-7.16, Animal Control By-law, No. 9150);
City of Victoria, BC (Declaration)
District of Saanich, BC (s. 38, Animals Bylaw, 2002, No. 8556);
District of Oak Bay, BC (ss. 26-28.2, Animal Control Bylaw, No. 4013);
Township of Esquimalt, BC (Part 6, Animal Bylaw 2002, No. 2495);
City of Richmond, BC (Part 3, Animal Control Regulation Bylaw, No. 7932);
Town of Gibsons, BC (not explicitly prohibited in bylaws);
City of Surrey, BC (Part 4(B), s. 7, Zoning By-law, No. 12000);
City of New Westminster, BC (not explicitly prohibited in bylaws);
City of Rossland, BC (s. 9.1, Animal Control Bylaw, No. 2357);
City of Airdre, AB (not explicitly prohibited in bylaws);
City of Grand Prairie, AB (not explicitly prohibited in bylaws);
Town of Peace River, AB (Part 1, s.1, Animal Control Bylaw, No. 1832);
City of Fort Saskatchewan, AB (“chicken” is included in the definition of “domestic animal”, Animal Control Bylaw, C1-02);
City of Waterloo, ON (s. 8 and Schedule “C”, Animal Control By-law, No. 09-047);
City of Guelph, ON (s. 1, Exotic and Non-Domestic Animals By-law, No. (1985)-11952);
City of Brampton, ON (s. 11, Animal Control By-law, No. 261-93);
City of Niagara Falls, ON (Schedule “C”, Animal Control By-law, No. 2002-129);
City of Quinte West, ON (Backyard Hens Licensing and Control By-law, No. 11-138);
City of Gatineau, QB (Chapter 6, Animal Control Bylaw, No. 183-2005) (in French only); and
City of Whitehorse, YT (s. 49, Animal Control Bylaw, No. 2001-01).
pal
When my neighbor decides to have a dozen chickens what will Bylaws be able to do about it when i have a issue with it?
I’m so getting a peacock or guinea hens then. Won’t my neighbors love me
Wikipedia = Poultry (/ˌpoʊltriː/) are domesticated birds kept by humans for the eggs they produce, their meat, their feathers, or sometimes as pets
and now I cant get katy perry’s peacock song out of my head, thanks!
onefingertyper. If the bylaw allows for six chickens and your neighbor has more then you complain to the Bylaw Enforcement people. Should be easy to get pictures to back up your complaint.
Kelowna had very few complaints since the brought in the bylaw in 2002.
Complaints.
Lot size 9
Noise 7
Site of coop 3
Chickens at large 2
Odour 1.
So not bad for a 14 year period.
This issue is probably a tempest in a teapot. Do people really think that a lot of people will actually get chickens??? I kind of doubt it.
LMAO, just keep bringing it up until you win.
DO you mean like the PAC?
I went onto the City website and looked at the to see which counselors voted it down, but all I see is the agenda, not the votes. Does anyone here know who voted it down? Thanks.
Comments for this article are closed.