Chickens again!

Good morning!

I did it! I sent in my written submission for London's public participation meeting about backyard chickens on time so it can get into the committee's agenda. I wouldn't bore you with the 7 pages and 37 endnotes of the full thing! But the short form is:

Chickens can be raised in an urban back yard without disturbing neighbours by noise or odours, and without anyone getting sick.

Raising chickens has a traditional place in household economic and food security that continues today.

Raising chickens in urban yards can be a normal part of city living and an accepted part of a city's urban agriculture spectrum.

Varied societal and economic factors will require more food to be produced within London's urban boundaries, probably beginning within the next ten years. We need to be ready by developing varied models of urban agriculture in London. The people who learn now about caring for chickens will be the people who will teach others how to raise chickens, confidently; also, their purchases of hens for egg-laying supports established breeders of healthy stock within our region.

Other cities in Canada and the United States have done the reports, set the standards, examined and been satisfied about health concerns, and had some experience with chickens raised within their urban boundaries. London could easily get on with amending bylaws to allow people to raise a few chickens in their yards, now.

I look forward to a bylaw that begins: "London wants to lead the way in creative, environmentally sound, economically and socially inclusive styles of urban agriculture. We are open to individual households where raising chickens is part of a household's food plan. As London evolves its urban agriculture spectrum the guidelines in this bylaw/report are a starting point...."

And that's really short. It's just that councillors seem to like paperwork to back up simple stuff.

I've only got half a dozen major projects to get on with ... plus the garden ... and my nice husband who brings me coffee in the morning and makes me tea when I ask him, and proofread the submission (that was really above and beyond! I love you Chris. Thanks.)

Best regards,

Why's Woman