Owen Sound Chicken (and other fine creatures) Bylaw

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Permalink Reply by Anne Finlay-Stewart on May 9, 2011 at 10:55

This is all helpful material.  One of the un-helpful things in our area is that we do not yet have any supportive work on food security, sustainability etc.  The Local Food Project is headed in that direction but nothing is imminent.  Perhaps this is the reason why Sound Food needs to be created  as a gathering place/focus for this sort of material in Owen Sound (not just Grey-Bruce which of course comprises so much agricultural land that some people would say "let them raise the food for us - no need for urban agriculture".)

Ang Freeman said:

Check out presentation to Waterloo City Council on Youtube at

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x39YoZrr0w&feature=channel_vide...

 

Matthew Bailey Dick visited us recently.  Here are some quick notes from that discussion.

 

• The Waterloo Hen Association (WHA) got started through word of mouth intitially, which grew into a facebook group.  A mass email explained and invited supporters to join the group on facebook.
• The main opposition in Waterloo has been the possible smell, noise, rats, or disease, as well as property values.
• Since chickens have been grandfathered in 2 years ago, there apparently have been very few complaints (1 known for sure).
• Matthew reports that a urban coop tour, as well as inviting neighbours over, has been positive, and that many of their neighbours have become positive toward keeping hens in city if they had concerns before.
• When Matthew and family got started, they wrote letters to all their adjoining lot neighbours.
• In 2009, 22 households in Waterloo Registered hens.  There may have been several hen keepers who chose not to register at that time.

Recommendations from Matthew:

• Find a supportive veterinarian who will connect with urban hen keepers (re: flock health, and euthanasia) for phone or in-person consults
• Education - hen keepers need to be educated on recognizing small flock probs and the basics of keeping hens.  WHA is working on a manual.  Vancouver has a 6 page doc on tips for keeping hens.
• Entire animal control by-law will likely need to be reviewed at same time - thus being potentially slowed
• invite councilors to visit urban hen coops existing in other communities
• get schools involved
• create and keep a paper-trail of letters of support, Wloo Public Health doc, etc
• draw on city or provincial written plans that discuss food security, environmental and sustainable stewardship and planning when making presentation
• do not use "farm" language in presentation and reports (ie. livestock) instead use language like "pets" and "urban hen-keeping"

Unfortunately the WHA was not able to convince Waterloo in April 2011 that hens are the way to go.  4-4 tie broken by mayoral vote postpones decision again.  Anyone with hens is able to continue, but no new applications will be approved at this time.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Anne Finlay-Stewart on July 30, 2011 at 9:07

http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3234107

 

Family fights to keep chickens -

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