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The debate on urban chicken coops continues

Jun 14, 2016 | 7:00 PM

While council denied one local’s bid to have two hens in her backyard, the municipality isn’t ready to ban the idea of urban chicken coops yet.

The topic was front and center at North Battleford City Council Monday night and ended with half of council in favour of banning the idea with the other half undecided.

The debate was sparked by Terra Karp’s request to turn a shed in the backyard of her North Battleford home into a chicken coop to provide her family with organic eggs, a request council ultimately denied.

Cities across Canada are split on the topic as well. Edmonton has issued 50 licenses for chicken coops in its Urban Hens pilot project. Vancouver has a four hen limit and in Victoria locals can have as many as they want as long as it’s consistent with the residents’ personal egg use. Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary don’t allow backyard chickens. 

North Battlefords’ Animal Control Bylaw states residents can’t harbour cattle, horses, chickens, pigs, hogs, asses, turkeys, mules, sheep or goats, in any part of the city without council’s written permission.

Penalties for breach of this bylaw are $50 per animal.

City Manager James Puffalt recommended that the bylaw be changed to ban domestic animals in residential and commercial areas of the city.

“I grew up on a farm and I don’t believe that chickens or any domestic animal, like those which we define in our bylaw, be permitted in the built-up areas of the city,” Puffalt said. “Standards for keeping egg laying hens can be upwards of 30 or more pages. It’s not the most pleasant thing to have those types of animals.”

Puffalt said chickens can create a smell, among other unpleasantries, neighbors wouldn’t want to deal with.

He said that allowing hens could start a slippery slope that could lead to residents to apply for other domestic animals like donkeys and turkeys. If council won’t consider banning the animals altogether Puffalt said he would like the definition of domesticated animals in the bylaw changed.

Puffalt believed the bylaw contains the provision because there are areas with in North Battleford city limits used for agriculture and are suitable for the harboring of these animals. He suggested changing the provision so specific animals would be banned in residential and commercial areas of the city.

Councillors Cathy Richardson and Ryan Bater disagreed with Puffalt’s stance on banning the animals completely. Both wanted further research done before making a final decision.

Coun. Richardson used Edmonton, as an example, which has been experimenting with residential chicken coops.

Coun. Greg Lightfoot nearly persuaded the rest of council on completely banning urban coops when he talked about the potential for these animals to attract coyotes, skunks and other predators to the inner city.

After 20 minutes of discussion, council remained split on the vote and ruled to conduct more research. There are plans to revisit the topic at a later date.

 

-With files from Canadian Press

ghiggins@jpbg.ca

@realgreghiggins