â–ş Listen Live
â–ş Listen Live
HomeNewsMattawa changes by-law to allow backyard chickens in the area

Mattawa changes by-law to allow backyard chickens in the area

North Bay resident Brent Johnson’s quest to have backyard chickens in the city may have gotten a boost after a neighbouring municipality voted to allow residents to raise hens in their yards. Mattawa council passed their animal control by-law last Tuesday. It will allow certain animals but with restrictions. Chanelle Davidson, a Mattawa resident, was one of the driving forces behind the change. Davidson first brought the issue up late last summer to council, and up until last Tuesday was continuing to fight to have the by-law changed. She originally started a petition because she was afraid the town was about to ban all exotic animals, livestock animals, and poultry from within town limits.

Davidson says she’s glad the Town of Mattawa recognized the value of backyard hens, and respects the fact they want to implement some regulations. Davidson has owned her chickens for three years, and says until this whole issue came up her neighbours didn’t even know she had them. She says people are more likely to know if their neighbour has a dog or a cat than a chicken. It’s a similar sentiment to the presentation that Johnson gave at North Bay council two weeks ago. Johnson outlined the common misconceptions about backyard chickens, like noise and odour. He said that a dog barking is actually louder than a hen clucking, and both Johnson and Davidson agreed that worries about smells coming from a backyard were unfounded.

Davidson was asked whether she believed the misconceptions about backyard chickens were among the reasons for councils being apprehensive to change animal control by-laws. She says she does, and also added it wasn’t until she believed she could lose her chickens that she decided to begin presenting to Mattawa council and educating them. Davidson hopes North Bay council will come to realize the benefit of backyard chickens, and change the by-law so Johnson and others like him can own their chickens without fear of the by-law officer showing up at the front door.

- Advertisment -
- Advertisment -
- Advertisement -

Continue Reading