The news out of city hall Wednesday is sure to ruffle some feathers: the bylaw prohibiting backyard chickens still stands.
The licensing and standards committee debated whether to allow residents to keep hens, but the matter was deferred indefinitely.
"It's not over," Coun. Mary-Margaret McMahon told CityNews Wednesday.
Coun. Joe Mihevc had introduced a motion, seconded by McMahon, that would allow Torontonians to keep “a limited number of hens in their backyard.” The motion didn’t say exactly how many chickens constituted “a limited number.”
"Two years ago, I wouldn't have been part of this conversation. I changed my mind and I have hope that others will change their minds," Mihevc said after the motion was deferred at city hall.
When asked if he thought the motion would be approved during Mayor Rob Ford's reign, Mihevc simply said "no."
"I'm more optimistic," McMahon countered.
Both councillors pointed to the growing urban agricultural movement as a reason why the motion might one day succeed. Even some elementary schools have gardens, McMahon pointed out, and the culture around urban farming is changing.
The motion was opposed by the Animal Alliance over "issues of humaneness," as well as funding.
"Toronto Animal Services just had a 10 per cent budget cut," Liz White, chair of the Animal Alliance, told CityNews.
"They're scrambling to care for an increasing number of animals...to enforce the new bylaw, it simply doesn't make sense. From a humane perspective, people who have done a lot of research can care for chickens. But as we know from cats and dogs, and abandonment issues, and cruelty issues, the more we allow additional types of animals the more that occurs."
If the proposal had passed, the city would have needed to come up with some guidelines, including rules for noise, smell, the selling of eggs and waste disposal. Fourteen backyard chicken infractions were reportedly handed out last year.
“In Toronto, there are a number of residents who wish to keep hens in their backyards for the purposes of producing eggs for personal consumption but existing by-laws prohibit the keeping of chickens in Toronto,” Mihevc’s motion stated.
“Backyard hens can be kept in a safe and appropriate manner that limits the potential for nuisances and public health concerns and City Council should give consideration to allowing residents to legally keep hens.”
According to earlier reports, Coun. Cesar Palacio, who chairs the committee, didn’t support the idea.
Vancouver, B.C., Kingston, Ont., New York City, Cleveland, Ohio,, and Los Angeles have amended their bylaws to allow residents to keep chickens.