Backyard chickens: Calgary councillor to propose pilot project
CBC News | Posted: January 20, 2015 4:35 PM | Last Updated: January 20, 2015
Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra says many residents interested in raising hens for eggs
The controversial backyard chicken debate could be headed back to Calgary city council.
In 2010 council voted down a proposed pilot project for allowing people to raise egg-laying hens in their yards.
City officials were concerned about backyard chickens being a nuisance to neighbours, becoming a potential health concern or attracting predators.
But Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra says a lot has changed since then and it’s time to reconsider trying a pilot project. He plans to introduce a motion in the next few weeks.
"I've been rooting around to see what kind of support I'd get on council and I think people are interested in seeing if this works," he said.
Other municipalities in Alberta — including Red Deer — now allow urban chickens and an increasing number of Calgarians are interested in food security issues and would be eager to take part in a pilot project, Carra says.
Amber Dennison is one of them. She says she knows a lot of people who would like to raise chickens to save money and to feel safer about their food choices.
"If you only have a couple of hens, you are not going to have a lot of noise," she said.
"You pick up after them, you are not going to have a lot of smell ... and you get all the eggs, and I don't know what the downside is."