What’s good for one coop is good for the rest
WEDNESDAY MORNING EDITORIAL — Kamloops council almost got it right on chickens Tuesday, but not quite.
Chickens may come home to roost.
Faced with a resident ticketed for having illegal hens (her property is too small to fit within the animal control bylaw that governs chickens), this was a kinder, gentler council than in the past when chicken lovers have pleaded without success for coops in the city.
Council decided to let her keep her half-dozen egg layers until a report is ready on the City’s new urban agriculture plan. If the plan recommends allowing backyard chickens, a bylaw amendment would have to be drawn up — all of which could take a year.
Council was by no means unanimous on the matter, voting 5-3 in favour. It was made clear, however, that the exception was being made for this one chicken owner only. Others who harbor secret chickens need not apply.
And there’s the problem. Making an exception just because somebody got caught isn’t logical. Coun. Ken Christian and Coun. Pat Wallace both argued that a bylaw is a bylaw is a bylaw — if you don’t want to enforce it, what’s the point? Mayor Peter Milobar sided with Christian and Wallace.
Making an exception based on the fact the law might change sometime in the next year is OK, but that exception should apply to everybody. An amnesty should be declared on existing hens until such time as the new policy — if there is one — is brought forward.
As it is, council must stand in its own reality, anyway. Having made an exception for one, how could it possibly not make an exception for the next clandestine flock of chickens whose owner gets turned in by a neighbor?
ArmchairMayor.ca 
When I was on council my view was that it was better to condone than to permit. If city staff were only asked to investigate on a complaint filed basis, most urban hens would pose no problem. If your neighbours are happy it is not a concern to the city. I feel the same way for extra dogs or basement suites. The threat of enforcement ensures that you will keep proper controls on your tenant, your dogs or your hens.
I am not sure if staff responded to a complaint. If so, my view on this situation would be different than the majority. Anyone who has been in a chicken coop will instantly remember the pungent smell. Everybody has a right to enjoy their own yards to the extent that they do not negatively impact their neighbour’s ability to do the same. I think it’s reasonable for me to spend time in my yard and not be subjected to the stench of a chicken coop (and she must be producing over 40 eggs per week…..more than she would reasonably require for herself).
I used to have a neighbour with two hens. It was not a problem and I filed no complaint. It’s all about the impact it has on those around you.
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