Does the by-law prohibiting backyard chickens need to change?
Posted Jul 10, 2015 11:48:56 AM.
Last Updated Jul 10, 2015 01:24:25 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The issue is back in the spotlight, after a woman in Kitchener was told she had to get rid of her hens because of the by-law.
The cities of Kitchener and Waterloo operate on a complaint basis, so if the neighbours don’t complain, no one comes knocking.
Some say there are a number of different reasons for keeping the birds: for egg laying, to educate their children or just to have them as pets.
A by-law in Kitchener ensures that house lots need to be maintained, that includes removing garbage, litter, debris, animals, dead or decaying trees, and if you’re found in violation of the city’s lot maintenance by-law, you could face a fine of up to $5,000. There’s also a by-law to regulate animals in Kitchener which prohibits homeowners from keeping fowl in their backyards.
In Waterloo, there’s a by-law to regulate animals which states persons may not keep chickens except on land zoned in the zoning by-law. That by-law was introduced in 2011.
Last year, Guelph was one of only seven communities in the whole of Canada in which backyard chickens are legal.
Click below to hear what callers to The Eric Drozd Show had to say.
