There is a petition on change.org to allow backyard chicken keeping in Clarington. As of Tuesday’s deadline, 372 have signed – the goal is 500. The petition is directed to members of council and Premier Ford.
The backyard chicken controversy isn’t new to Clarington. On November 23, 2009 council considered a request to amend the Exotic Pet By-law, By-law 93-161 to permit the keeping of chickens in urban areas within the municipality. Council referred the correspondence to the municipal clerk, the director of planning and the Agricultural Advisory Committee of Clarington for comment.
It was then debated at the March 29, 2010 General Purpose and Administration Committee meeting, Report CLD- 004-10 – Urban “Backyard” Chicken Farming. The report recommended that the request to amend the by-law 93-161 to allow for raising chickens on non-agriculturally zoned lands be denied.