North Bay residents won’t be getting backyard chicken coops any time soon.
Tuesday’s council meeting saw a motion brought forward to order staff to prepare a report to provide information on potentially amending the Bylaw No. 151-93 which prohibits ownership of fowl within the municipality.
The motion was inspired by a presentation done at September 15’s council meeting from Emma and Jim Wilson, who had a chicken coop at their home which they did not know was in violation of the bylaw. The couple touted the benefits of the coops, saying that it helped educate their kids and provided healthier food options.
During Tuesday’s meeting, however, city councillors were not as enthusiastic about backyard chicken coops.
Councillor Bill Vrebosch said during the discussion that he “hasn’t met a lot of people who want chicken coops.”
Deputy Mayor Tanya Vrebosch said that she was interested in getting more information from the report, but anticipated a lot of pitfalls with the amendment of the bylaw including how to constitute the cleanliness of the coops.
Councillor Mark King commended the supporters of the chicken coops for their initiative in wanting to get backyard chickens, but says that they need to “consider their fellow neighbours.”
This is not the first time that North Bay has considered amending the animal control bylaw for the implementation of backyard chickens, which councillor Chris Mayne acknowledged. He said that the issue was brought up to the previous council in 2017, which was struck down at the same time Sudbury had considered it.
“Most people who bought homes in North Bay did so without having chickens in mind,” Mayne noted.
City council split the vote on the amendment 4-4, meaning that the motion had fallen.
