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Fowl language dominates Guelph city council meeting

New animal control bylaw would allow more people the opportunity to keep backyard chickens

Backyard chickens got a break in Guelph City Council chambers on Monday.

In moving forward with its new animal control bylaw, the city reduced the distance a chicken coop needs to be away from a neighbour’s property, opening the door for people with smaller yards to keep chickens.

The old animal bylaw called for chicken coops to be 50 feet from a neighbour’s home. The new distance is 1.2 metres from a neighbour’s property line and at least 3 metres from a neighbour’s house.

The bylaw does not allow roosters and any concerns about noise or smell will still be dealt with by bylaw officers on an individual basis.

City Council’s Committee of the Whole approved the new rules. They will go to full council for final approval.

There will also be a limit of 10 chickens per residence until city staff has a chance to take another look at the quantity part of the new animal control bylaw.

“You’d have to be quite a landowner” to have enough property to keep backyard chickens in Guelph, said councillor James Gordon, who recommended the change.

“Fifty feet can now be determined to be discriminatory,” Gordon said in explaining his logic in moving the change.

The city spent three years in coming up with a new animal control bylaw, unifying four existing bylaws.

Doug Godfrey, the city’s General Manager of Operations, agreed that the 50-foot rule was in need of updating.

There were three delegates at Monday’s meeting who spoke in favour of reducing the setback needed from a neighbour’s property.

Jody Teskey said that backyard chickens have several benefits, including therapeutic benefits, family social benefits and food choice options.

She also said that the existing 50-foot rule “marginalizes” those who can’t afford the room.

“There’s a fairness question. I’m wondering why some people in Guelph can keep chickens but others can’t,” Teskey said.

“A 50-foot bylaw does not make sense,” she said.

Chris Casa said that no other municipality has a distance as great as 50 feet in its bylaw regarding chickens, something city staff backed up.

 


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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