How to Change Laws & Ordinances (Pointe-Claire, Qc, Canada)

[shartley]

Hi,

I would like to work to get the bi-laws changed in my municipality to allow raising of chickens similar to how other major metropolitan areas have begun to allow (Pointe-Claire is a suburb on the Island of Montreal Quebec).

I have a very cooperative City councilor who has already put forth to the town council my proposal for a community garden however I fear changing the bi-laws to allow chickens will meet a lot more resistance even though I have many fellow residents that is also interested in raising chickens and other major Canadian cities have begun to allow it like Vancouver and Victoria.

Currently the bi-law states :
Chapter 6
PROVISIONS GOVERNING ANCILLARY BUILDINGS
6.10 Keeping of animals
Other than for pet shops, any building or facility designed to keep animals other than domestic animals is prohibited within the limits of the City of Pointe-Claire.


As well there is another bi-law that states that no livestock are allowed to be kept.

I would really appreciate some help on how to start the process to change the bi-laws, (other cities that have made the change and their current bi-laws, the various pro's and con's). I will formulate them into a written proposal that I will send to my city councilor and if all goes well I will gladly re-post it to this site.

Thanks everyone.

Steven.

 

[stuckinthecity]

Other then starting a petition I have NO CLUE how to help you, im so sorry!

But the community garden idea is great for people who don't have the land, and wouldn't it be great to have the chickens there at the garden to help with fertilizer!! have a movable coop/movable fencing and then people have a set up of who grows when, and the birds are moved around that schedule so each space gets fertilized.
Or you could just take the poo out of the house, either way I think you're starting a great movement, which I hope turns out in you and others being able to keep chickens.

 

[shartley]

I have a lot of 6000 sq. ft. and a garden of my own of 750 sq. ft, the community garden is more of a hobby and the space is wasted right now (30,000 sq. ft of nothing not even a park). I doubt they would allow me to have chikens there. First thing is to try and get the chickens in my backyard.

Thanks.

 

[valereee]

If you have a member of city council on your side, the fight is half won. Give them LOTS of information, organized professionally, and make sure to attend every meeting, including any committee or commission meetings. Always be respectful, taking the tack that "government" is US, not "them". THEY don't do things; WE do them. "I believe we should allow chickens under these circumstances" is more likely to get city council on your side than "Why are you doing this?"

Here is a presentation we made to our city council:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/16509728/Changing-Your-Citys-Chicken-Laws

It's crucial that your presentation be easy to use -- that is, this paper is 28 pages long, but it has a very comprehensive table of contents so that people can easily find the section that pertains to their particular concerns. For instance, if someone is worried about noise, you don't want to force them to wade through all the info about water runoff and burdens on government. With a table of contents, you'll see each person looking at the table of contents, then flipping to the section that answers their questions.

 

[a_abbond]

Hi!
I recently moved to Pointe-Claire and I would love to have chickens in my backyard!
How is the project going? have you approached your city councellor about it?
Andréanne

 

[gbeauvin]

Quote:
I don't believe that 6.10 prohibits chickens. They are certainly domestic animals. The question then is how does your livestock ordinance read? Is livestock defined in the code somewhere? Here in alabama, some codes refer to the Alabama State Code for some definitions (such as livestock... and chickens are NOT livestock according to the state definition), while others specify themselves (in which case livestock is sometimes defined to include poultry).

Understanding what the current law says, and what needs to get changed may be a good first step. Do you have a link to the municipal code/bylaws?

-GB

 

[gbeauvin]

It looks like 5.18 might be your kicker?

Quote:
While that doesn't necesarily rule out a chicken, it does appear (to me) to rule out a chicken coop...

-GB

 

[Jos1chick]

In Charlesbourg QC, Interested in this topic... Hope to see more info/movement. If you have any other info please let me know. Thanks!

 

[Greenworks]

Hi,

I am also a Pointe-Claire resident and I am very interested in permaculture design and the possibility of raising chickens on my property. I would be happy to join you on this and I have a few connections that may be useful. Strength in numbers!

 

[VanessaM]

Very curious to see how this turns out. I am located in Eastern Ontario and am hoping to change the bylaws of my hometown as well.

Good luck and keep us posted!