'There is no egg-scuse for an old bylaw': Richmond Hill family fighting to keep the cluck for kids

Newmarket, Toronto, Vaughan among municipalities allowing backyard chickens

Yorkregion.com
July 19, 2021
Yoyo Yan

Ainee Chung and her husband, Luke, didn't know that they had to walk on eggshells with the chickens.

The Richmond Hill couple received five chickens from a family friend and allowed their three children -- Evan, 16, Ethan, 13, and Maylin, 8 -- to raise them in the backyard.

The chickens have names and have become companions for the children. The eggs they produce are hypoallergenic for Evan.

“For the first time in his life, Evan was able to eat eggs without suffering an allergic reaction,” said Luke.

The family says that the surrounding neighbours are supportive of the backyard chickens, and that they often share the eggs with them. “They make less noise than a dog and roam in our property.”

"The chickens have been a tremendous blessing during the pandemic," said Ainee. They become a motivation for the kids to go outside for sunshine, and they also teach the children about caring for animals, respect and responsibility, she said.

"Having backyard chickens is truly educational, and they have supported the kids during lockdown measures."

However, the family was ordered to remove the chickens by city bylaw enforcement, after a distant neighbour recently filed a complaint.

“We did not know that there was an outdated bylaw in Richmond Hill that prohibited chicken as ‘livestock.’ It’s quite upsetting for the children, who love the chickens dearly,“ said Luke.

According to the city’s animal-keeping bylaw, which was updated last in 2005, however, there is an exemption for documentary or television productions.

In a bid to secure an exemption, the children have now hatched the idea of making a documentary on the health and environmental benefits of backyard chickens through their online studio.

“Chickens love to eat insects, including ticks and invasive LDD moths, which keeps the trees in our backyard healthy,” said Ethan.

“They also contribute to sustainability by eating left-over vegetables and fruits. Very little waste goes into our green bins,” added Ainee.

Some municipalities in the GTA, including Newmarket, Toronto and Vaughan, allow egg-laying backyard hens.

Newmarket has allowed backyard hens since 2017. There are currently seven residents with chickens, and the town hasn't received any complaints.

Toronto launched the UrbanHensTO pilot program on March 2, 2018, and it has been extended to March 31, 2022. Owners must have no roosters since they are noisy and can possess a maximum of four hens. In addition, they must not raise birds for meat or for eggs to sell; and they must provide adequately sized, lockable coops with roofs and nest boxes. They also must let the city inspect their setup.

Vaughan updated its animal-control bylaw in 2020, allowing chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. The allowance of two hens per residential property is permitted temporarily, providing they are kept clean and pose no public health risks.

Richmond Hill Ward 4 Coun. David West believes the backyard chicken issue is worth exploring, as the city's animal-related bylaws are due for a review.

“There are some municipalities that allow it under a very specific set of circumstances. There is a real demand for growing local food,” West told the Liberal.

“Raising chickens would certainly be one of the things that we can have public input on, staff can do some research on. I am open to the possibility of exploring that, and I love to hear from residents as to their feelings on it. I suspect there are folks that are interested in doing it.”

Evan, Ethan and Maylin are organizing an online petition, and so far have received more than 200 signatures.

"There is no egg-scuse for an old bylaw! Let's set an egg-sample for all," Luke wrote under the petition.