Cochrane Town Council voted down the idea of allowing residents to raise chickens in their backyards eight years ago, but Coun. Patrick Wilson served notice Monday evening he wants to resurrect and debate the contentious issue again, sometime before April 30.
And he wants Administration to prepare a new study on the issue.
When Coun. Marni Fedeyko asked him if he’d be amenable to revisiting the report done in 2017, Wilson said a new study was needed.
“A new report. The landscape has changed a lot I would imagine and I’d like a new look into it,” he said.
Wilson said he was able to use his old notes from his very first council meeting to remind himself of the underlying issues involved, and why he brought it forward then and now.
Those notes, he said, mentioned things like Cochrane’s history as a ranching community with rural roots, and the fact that a property owner should have the right to grow food in their own backyard, especially with elevated food costs, and the security to provide for themselves and their neighbours.
“The goal of the report is to explore feasibility and best practices for this in Cochrane," Wilson said. "The balancing consideration of this exploration is expected to be between individual residents freedom to produce more of their food at home, while being least burdensome as possible on neighbours and municipal enforcement."
Wilson said he was moved to bring the issue forward in response to feedback from dozens of people to a survey on his Facebook page, along with positive feedback from those who saw the survey results.
"It was fairly organic," he said.
Wilson said he was pro chicken right now, but wants to see the report before a final decision.
An Urban Hen Pilot Project was reviewed by Council in 2017 following a community-driven presentation to council. The draft included Guidelines and Regulations for council’s consideration.
Extensive research on the proposal was completed by town planner Nicole Tomes in 2017 and included consultations with wildlife officials and a number of municipalities with existing programs. She reviewed the bylaws incorporated by municipalities, including the cities of Edmonton, St. Alberta and Red Deer and several towns including nearby Okotoks.
At the time, Town administration said that should a pilot project be considered, peace officer training, initial site inspections, and neighbour notification would be recommended. Neighbours would be notified but would not have the ability to stop an applicant from participating in the pilot project.
While neighbours may not be able to stop an application from moving forward, legitimate concerns would be considered and mitigated and the Town would have full discretion.
After extensive consideration of other municipality’s urban hen programs and bylaws and potential community concerns, the pilot project ultimately did not proceed.
On February 27, 2017, Town council voted against moving forward with a pilot which would allow for 17 homes to house backyard hens. Negative feedback from Cochrane residents ultimately sidelined the pilot. Town council turned down the proposal by a close 4-3 vote.
