CAMPBELL RIVER, BC – Lori Hewitt wants a regional bylaw to change.
The bylaw Hewitt is talking about is in regards to having chickens and small farm animals.
She wants the bylaw changed after the district told her she had to remove her chickens from her property.
“They’re causing no one harm and my neighbours support them, buy eggs from me, and enjoy the sound of them in the morning.”
Hewitt was at Woofy’s in Willow Point, asking residents to sign the petition.
“We need to change it. The cities are allowed chickens, and we’re in a rural area. As long as they’re not causing anybody loss of use or stress, there’s really no reason we shouldn’t be having them,” Hewitt said.
She cites bylaws in Campbell River and Courtenay, where residents are allowed to have at least six hens anywhere within the city as long as they follow proper husbandry practices.
“I just know both cities have made that change to their bylaw. I’m sitting on a very large area of land that’s in a rural district and most people don’t even realize that within that rural district, we’re not allowed to keep our small flock of hens or ducks or rabbits or anything like that.”
Hewitt started the petition on Friday. She says she hopes the petition will gain enough traction so it can go in front of the district’s board, find the right parameters in the district and change the bylaw.
She says there are other Area D residents helping her pass around the petition in their neighbourhoods.
“I think we’ll try to be in different locations and walking our neighbourhoods in Area D over the next few months, over the summer months in particular. I’m hoping to find a couple of other retail outlets here in Willow Point and possibly Black Creek to help support us, and make it easy for people to come,” she said.
Hewitt says she’s optimistic the bylaw will change.
“I don’t think there’s very many reasons to not, especially if we ensure that when it comes to place, there are parameters for people who are not maybe practicing proper husbandry with their animals, that they’re not allowed to sit out in the yard because of excessive noise or smell or things that make their property undesirable.”
