CBRM wakes up to new rules around roosters

Cape Breton regional councillors have passed a new animal husbandry bylaw that allows residents to keep roosters, and other farm animals, nearly anywhere in the municipality.

The bylaw initially drew an outcry from the public because it allowed residents to keep any livestock except roosters.

That drew hundreds of signatures on a petition to stop CBRM from banning roosters in the municipality and attracted about 35 people to a public hearing on the bylaw.

Great pets?

Several people said roosters make great pets and that hobby farmers need them for egg and meat production.

They also objected to an outright ban on a specific gender of a specific species.

During a public hearing on the bylaw, five people spoke in favour of allowing people to have roosters.

"We moved to the country for a reason," said Beverly Kirk of Albert Bridge. "Don't get me wrong, I grew up in the north end of Hamilton and we never had chickens there.

"We moved our family to Cape Breton ... to a rural area. We have had horses, cows, chickens, rabbits, and I've never had a neighbour complain yet."

The bylaw was drawn up by a committee of experts and at least one person who had complained in the past about a neighbour's livestock.

Malcolm Gillis, CBRM director of planning, said the draft bylaw was a response to councillors who have received complaints for years.

He said the bylaw was intended to allow people to be responsible animal owners, but he said it contained provisions that police and others believed would be enforceable.

Some of those provisions included proper housing and controls on odours and noise.

One in favour of ban

Only one member of the public spoke in favour of a ban on roosters.

Bob Jardine of North Sydney said his neighbour has several birds and Jardine thinks they are out of control.

"I have free-ranging poultry, roosters and hens, roaming around and performing a solo underneath our bedroom window at 7:30 to 8 in the morning when I'm trying to sleep," he said.

Most councillors balked at banning roosters altogether, but after much debate, a majority approved an amendment that took the ban out of the bylaw.

Coun. Earlene MacMullin was one of the few who spoke passionately in favour of banning roosters, at least in urban areas.

After an 8-3 vote to allow roosters anywhere in CBRM, MacMullin said she was "very disappointed," especially with the way it was done.

CBRM council policy is to send a bylaw back to committee for further discussion if an amendment is passed after a public hearing.

Policy waived to approve bylaw right away

However, municipal solicitor Demetri Kachafanas told council they could vote to waive the policy in order to approve the bylaw right away.

Council voted 7-4 in favour of waiving policy.

Coun. MacMullin was one of the four who opposed that procedural move.

"We pushed it through, and in my opinion that was wrong," she said.

"There's a difference between something being legal, and there's a difference between being ethical."

Jardine said later he was OK with the bylaw allowing roosters to be kept in urban areas, as long as the provisions that protect neighbours are enforced.

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