Red Deer County grappling with animal control issues

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

Tulley added she’s been using chickens until now to feed her family, and that the proposed changes have made her consider whether she really wants to live in Red Deer County.

$39.6 million

Ponoka town council finalizes 2026 budget

50m ago

8 a.m., May 1

County of Stettler issues fire advisory

1h ago

3 p.m., May 1

Lacombe County issues fire advisory

1h ago

“One size fits all just doesn’t seem to be realistic,” she concluded.

Her final point is what prompted council to halt after second reading was granted to ask staff to go back and work out the possibility of making this a discretionary matter. This way, they could decide on a case by case basis how many animals are allowed on a given lot if, for example, someone lives on a property much larger than 2.0 acres.

Mayor Jim Wood acknowledged this was the right move because there are a handful of 5-acre properties, but added that those are anomalies.

“We asked them to go back and take a look at how close they are to existing neighbours,” Wood said. “Are we going to impact neighbours with what other people are doing?”

Resident Bob Watson also spoke at the public hearing and pleaded with council to grandfather in the new rules if they are eventually granted third reading.

“I don’t like to be negative, but I think you’ve got to put something in there to allow us to live within the classification of the land when we bought it,” he said. “If this bylaw passes as is, you’re making a criminal out of me if I don’t change. I can’t have any roosters, but Sunday dinner is usually rooster and I don’t want to kill my laying hens.”

The bylaw amendments also proposes to limit the ‘units’ of cows, calves, pigs, weaner pigs, horses, donkeys, mules, llamas, miniature horses, sheep, goats, alpacas, rabbits, turkeys, ducks, geese and other similar fowl. One unit may equate to more than one animal in some cases.

Changes also include new penalty amounts related to the keeping or harboring of livestock, hens or fowls in contravention of the bylaw — $100 for a first violation, increasing to $200 and $400 for further infractions.