Chickens to be allowed in some Toronto backyards
Toronto council approves a three-year pilot project for residents in wards 5, 13, 21 and 32.
TheStar.com
Oct. 3, 2017
Betsy Powell
Trish Tervit’s “Taj Mahal” of backyard chicken coops will soon have new tenants after council’s decision Tuesday to approve a pilot project in four Toronto wards.
In 2010, Tervit got three chicks to mostly entertain and educate her two daughters.
They helped keep the backyard clean, there was no increase in raccoons or other pests and the only noise was a little daytime clucking.
Still, somebody in her upper Beaches neighborhood complained and, after a warning from the city and a decisive 2013 council decision closing the door on backyard coops, Tervit gave away her “girls” to a farm outside the city.
On Tuesday, council reversed course, and approved a pilot project that will allow Toronto residents in wards 5 (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) 13 (Parkdale-High Park) 21 (St. Paul’s) and 32 (Beaches-East York) — Tervit’s east-end ward — to keep up to four chickens in their backyards.
“I adored having the chickens,” Tervit said. “We got used to having fresh eggs and fun little pets. When I heard the (council vote) news today, there was no guesswork — I'm already googling where to get some chicks, we'll have some within days,” she said.
The 23-14 council vote removes chickens from the city’s list of prohibited animals.
Backyard chickens will not be allowed in apartment buildings condominiums or properties without sufficient outdoor space.
Eggs produced by the hens could not be sold and roosters would not be allowed in the henhouse. Participants will have to register and agree to regular inspections.
The proposed pilot will go into effect by the end of October and will operate for up to three years with an interim review at 18 months.
“It’s a good day for Torontonians. Chickens are already in our community, this normalizes a practice frankly that is around the world,” Councillor Joe Mihevc said after the vote.
“To have a few pets in your backyard that also have the benefit of producing eggs, there’s nothing wrong with it from a public health perspective, from a nuisance perspective, they are as clean as cats and dogs, they are as clean as the owners who keep care of them.”
Eggs produced by the hens could not be sold and roosters would not be allowed in the henhouse. Participants will have to register and agree to regular inspections.
The proposed pilot will go into effect by the end of October and will operate for up to three years with an interim review at 18 months.
“It’s a good day for Torontonians. Chickens are already in our community, this normalizes a practice frankly that is around the world,” Councillor Joe Mihevc said after the vote.
“To have a few pets in your backyard that also have the benefit of producing eggs, there’s nothing wrong with it from a public health perspective, from a nuisance perspective, they are as clean as cats and dogs, they are as clean as the owners who keep care of them.”
