A Burnaby resident is out of cluck after appealing to council to revisit its bylaws around chickens on residential properties.
City council received an email from local resident Marika Wasaznik asking the city to reconsider its rules around keeping backyard chickens in residential areas of the neighbourhood. She noted residents are allowed to do so in Vancouver, New Westminster and North Vancouver.
In Vancouver, up to four hens are allowed at a residential property, and in New Westminster and the City of North Vancouver, up to eight chickens are allowed on a property – as long as the properties are big enough.
In Burnaby, chickens are only allowed on properties zoned A1 (agricultural) and A2 (small holdings) – properties that are in short supply in Burnaby. In a brief scan of the city’s zoning map, the NOW counted roughly two dozen such properties in the city, largely clustered around Burnaby Mountain, Burnaby Lake and the Fraser River.
Wasaznik’s letter, which asked the city to allow up to two chickens in single-unit residential properties, was presented to council this week, but was met with little interest from staff, who cited a 2010 report to council on the issue.
In that report, staff acknowledged that other cities do allow the keeping of chickens on residential properties but cited concerns around noise, pests, disease and unwanted hens after they’ve finished laying eggs.
That report recommended the city maintain its existing bylaws around chickens in residential zones, and 10 years later, no councillors appeared eager to take up the cause.
After hearing the brief summary of Wasaznik’s letter, the letter was received without comment.
