By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

CLUCK NO!

Urban hens not coming to Blackfalds anytime soon

Sep 12, 2019 | 6:30 PM

Blackfalds town council has decided to not move forward with an urban hen pilot program at this time.

In a report to council, the growing nationwide popularity of urban hens is noted, along with the fact that local municipalities like Red Deer and Lacombe have implemented programs over the last few years.

The Town completed a public engagement survey recently which found that there is 50/50 interest for such a program.

In the survey, some of the 100+ comments range from “chickens are not pets” and “NO NO NO” to “This would be wonderful for our town” and a suggestion that before someone received a permit, they’d have to take a training course.

The council report also suggested that if respondents were informed that the program would require tax dollars to enact, they may have answered differently. Preston Weran, Director of Infrastructure, says the cost could be around $500 per application.

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The idea was for a one-year pilot to run from May 2020 through May 2021, as long as the Town received a minimum 22 pre-applications. Council still would have had to consider other details including maximum number of licenses allowed, hens per site, and training and registration requirements.

For now, they’ve received the report for information, and the debate would likely only return for consideration if there was an influx of residents who showed interest.

Last November, the Town of Innisfail rejected proposed changes to allow urban hen keeping despite a survey which showed 66 per cent support.