Urban chickens may soon be a common sight in Saanich.
Well, if you are living in Saanich or plan to move there, you can now start farming. This reminds me of my early years in Nelson, BC. There it seemed every house either had chickens or dogs who ate the neighbour’s chickens.
A special meeting was held solely to deal with proposed amendments to several animal bylaws. Politicians received hundreds of emails and letters, some from people who don’t even live in Canada, and residents packed council chambers for the lengthy meeting that saw all amendments unanimously approved.
“Talk about pets and ... you will get passion,” Coun. Dean Murdock said Wednesday. “People were very thoughtful and articulate on their definite points of view, but the feathers didn’t fly.”
After hours of input and debate, those at Tuesday’s meeting gave Saanich’s director of legislative services, Carrie MacPhee, who had written the majority of animal reports and recommendations, a round of applause.
Once municipal staff amend the bylaws, Saanich residents will be:
— allowed to have five hens on property larger than 557 square metres;
The changes still have to be given a final reading by the council, but are expected to be in place by summer.
About 90 per cent of Saanich residents will now be allowed to have up to five hens. Saanich joins several other municipalities in the region that allow hens on urban lots, with some restrictions.
“This is a step towards food security in Saanich,” said Murdock, who brought forward the idea of allowing more urban chickens. More people are interested in food security and want the chance to be more self-sufficient by having hens for their eggs, he said.
Victoria, Oak Bay, Esquimalt and Central Saanich all allow hens on smaller, residential-sized lots.
“While there is a lot of opportunity for people to have chickens, I think the uptake won’t be enormous,” said Coun. Susan Brice.
Which came first, the egg or the chicken? That’s still a hot debate. According to Genesis 1:20-22 the chicken came before the egg. At least now in Saanich, both are available.
To view the voting on the issue, see: http://www.saanich.ca/living/community/chickens.html
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