WELLINGTON NORTH – Councillors here experienced a feathery déjà vu on May 24 as the topic of backyard chickens once again came up at council, this time in the form of a petition.
Mount Forest resident Mark Baldock created an online Change.org petition stating “we the residents of Wellington North are asking Mayor Andy Lennox and the council to change the current bylaw and allow for backyard chickens.”
The bylaw referred to dictates what can be done within different land zoning in the township.
Although it doesn’t explicitly prohibit the keeping of backyard chickens, it doesn’t permit them either.
“The zoning bylaw only allows agricultural uses on agriculturally zoned properties,” chief building official Darren Jones stated in an email.
The bylaw further regulates the number of animals by limiting barn sizes.
And although a few site-specific exemptions have been made, Jones stated, none related to backyard chickens.
In his petition, Baldock asserted the feathered friends had been “dismissed in the past” and stated the time for change had come – once again.
Baldock previously requested council amend the rules in 2020, stating in a letter at the time, that “all residents of Wellington North” should be permitted to keep a maximum of six chickens in backyard coops.
Prior to then, in 2017, Mount Forest resident Dale Martin wrote to council advocating for backyard chickens.
In both discussions, council remained opposed.
This time around was no different.
Councillors were uninterested in ruffling old feathers, referencing an ongoing spread of avian influenza in the province and county.
Resident Sean McDermid appeared virtually before council to speak out against the petition.
“I am a local area chicken farmer and this petition poses a huge risk to all area poultry farms,” said McDermid, referencing the ongoing spread of avian influenza.
Should backyard chickens help further spread the virus, McDermid voiced concern that more control zones preventing the free movement of birds and feed would be implemented by the federal government, complicating business and driving routes.
Councillor Steve McCabe acknowledged there were several hundred signees presented across several pages listing names, municipalities and postal codes, but said many weren’t located in Wellington North.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea, still, ” McCabe said, adding, “not a good time ever, and not a good time, for sure, right now.”
Baldock had brought up the names and municipalities listed as being outside of the township, CAO Mike Givens said, and suggested the software used to compile the electronic signatures was faulty.
“Although they appear to be outside of Wellington North, that all of the signees, [Baldock’s] indication was, were within Wellington North, even though the addresses came out differently,” Givens said.
The Advertiser cross-referenced several of the names on the list with publicly available information on social media along with accompanying, self-declared postal codes and found examples suggesting petition signees indicting they were located outside Wellington North were indeed located outside of the township.
One signee with a Waterloo postal code shared a link to Baldock’s petition on social media, stating: “Please sign even though you don’t live in the neighbourhood.”
Councillor Lisa Hern remained “status quo,” as she did in 2020 when the issue was last brought up.
Councillor Sherry Burke said the challenges of human-chicken-wildlife conflict outweighed the benefits and opposed reopening the conversation.
She also said the way development is going with smaller lot sizes, chicken coops would end up being too close to nearby neighbours.
“I can just see the increase of noise and odour complaints,” she remarked.
Mayor Andy Lennox said the ongoing spread of bird flu reinforces previous decisions made by council.
The petition was received as information.
In a statement to the Advertiser, Baldock said he’s “disappointed with council’s decision” – one he believes is based on “fear and distrust of the public.”
He indicated council hasn’t yet heard the last from him.
“I will keep trying to change hearts and minds and garner more community support to the point where we either change council’s minds, or change council itself,” Baldock stated.
Applying for a zoning bylaw amendment to allow for agricultural use remains the only potential way to legally keep backyard chickens.
