Innisfil, ontario - somewhat dubious laws and certainly spotty enforcement

[ihearvoices]

Livestock is clearly defined in the bylaws as an animal normally associated to farming operations and kept for the purpose of breeding, sale or meat.

Unfortunately, they took a whole host of those "farm" animals, put them on a separate scheduksschedule and zoned out our mostly rural town to exclude "settlement" areas.

So they kinda left a loophole where my chickens would be pets, but they doubled-back, left out the word livestock (which they went to the trouble of defining) and prohibited our feathered friends explicitly in the "city" part of our farming community.

I've spoken to my ward councillor and i'm going to try a written appeal. We shall see!

 

[murraydanes]

please keep me posted as to what the outcome is. Toronto has a pilot project for backyard chickens so why can't Innisfil?

 

[ihearvoices]

Finally have an update. The official answwer is "we have a by-law that clearly says no chickens. However we are reviewing our exception clause to provide repeatable conditions for which an exception might be granted." The un-official answer was, 'if no one complains, we don't search you out'.

 

[idreamofpookie]

Can u give us an update of your written appeal ?

 

[rui74]

Do you have an answer to your appeal? We are getting our hens saturday and have our fingures crossed

 

[idreamofpookie]

Everyone in Innisfil hoping to raise chickens needs to call up their ward councillors and write the Town emails and tell them you want to be able to raise a few hens in settlement areas. If enough people complain, they will consider amending the by-law. You can't even raise a pet rabbit there. People need to make a stink about it or they wont allow it.

 

[Teebodan]

I'm in innisfil I have fancy hens for eggs the local kids come and help they enjoy helping and learning, I have 1 nasty Neighbour who absolutely hates chickens call the town on me more than a couple times 0SPCA and now the OSPCA doesn't deal with livestock so they have their own task force now, all my birds are healthy and there coops are heated, fresh water everything is way past standards, they are looking into passing the bylaw which I don't think will happen,
My neighbours hate my birds they are about 300ft from my only Neighbour, who has called and called and called and called, I now have to move because of the numerous calls,