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Allowing hens in residential areas?

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Consultation has concluded. Thank you for your participation.

Regional Municipal Planning Strategy - Halifax Regional Council intends to consider, and if deemed advisable, amend the existing Regional Municipal Planning Strategy to permit the keeping of egg-laying hens. The amendments are as generally described below:

1. Amendments to the "Table of Contents" to insert the title of the new policy.
2. The inclusion of a policy directing the land-use By-laws of the municipality to permit the keeping of adult hens as an accessory use to residential uses for personal use and household food supply.

Amendments to Land Use By-laws
And take further notice that Halifax Regional Council intends to amend all the existing land use By-laws of the municipality, with the exception of the Downtown Dartmouth Land Use By-law, Halifax Peninsula Land Use By-law and Regional Centre Land Use By-law (Package A in order to implement the proposed amendments to the Regional Municipal Planning Strategy. Changes to the land use By-laws are as follows:

The inclusion of provisions for the keeping of egg-laying hens including limits to the number of hens permitted on a lot, the location of hens on a lot, setbacks from watercourses and lot lines, requirements for accessory buildings and prohibitions on slaughtering, euthanizing, and the sale of eggs, meat or hens.

Virtual Public Hearing - Date and Time

A virtual public hearing will be held by Halifax Regional Council commencing on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. All oral and written submissions will be considered at that time. It will be webcast and can be viewed online.

Virtual Hearing- How Can I Participate?

Forward a written submission: Written submissions may be forwarded to the Municipal Clerk by email, by mail, P.O. Box 1749, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3AS; or by fax, 902.490.4208. Written submissions should be received by the Municipal Clerk's office as early as possible and not later than 3:00 p.m. on October 5, 2021. Please allow sufficient time for delivery given slower than typical mail delivery times during the COVlD-19 Pandemic.

Register to speak: Contact the Municipal Clerk's Office no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, October 4, 2021, to be added to the speaker's list to speak by phone. We encourage all residents who have any desire to speak at the meeting to ask to have their name added to the list. Individuals who do not want to speak at a later time may ask to have their name removed from the speaker's list.

To be placed on the speaker's list, individuals may:
• Email; or
• Call 902.490.421O; or
• Send a fax to 902.490.4208.

In your message, please include the meeting body (Regional Council), the planning Case number (22227), in addition to your name, community of residence, email address, and telephone number.

For any questions on the process of the virtual joint public hearing, please email the Municipal Clerks Office at call 902.490.4210.

View the documents online.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: On August 31, 2021, Halifax Regional Council amended the number of hens permitted based on the size of the lot. The following amendments are not reflected in the August 31, 2021 version of the land use By-laws:

  1. Delete subsection (a) and replace it with the following:
    The maximum number of hens permitted on a lot shall be:
    i. a maximum of 10 hens on lots less than 4,000 square metres in size;
    ii. a maximum of 15 hens on lots 4,000 square metres and over but less than 6,000 square metres in size;
    iii. a maximum of 20 hens on lots 6,000 square metres and over but less than 10,000 square metres in size;
    iv. a maximum of 25 hens on lots 10,000 square metres or greater in size;

View the minutes from Halifax Regional Council (Item 7.2).

Background

  • Regional Council is considering whether to allow households to keep and raise egg-laying fowl in residential areas for personal use only.
  • The original Council motion and staff report focused on chickens, but at the July 30, 2019 session, Regional Council decided to expand the scope to include other birds kept for the purpose of egg-laying (ducks, geese, guinea fowl, quail and or turkeys).
  • This is not about farming. It is about allowing people living on residentially zoned lands, whether in the city, suburbs or rural areas, to keep a small number of domesticated birds to provide eggs for the household’s own use.
  • Raising birds for meat, selling birds or eggs would not be permitted.
  • Municipal Community Food Security initiatives and the direction of the Halifax Green Network plan support policy work on allowing egg-laying fowl in residential areas.
  • Any policy changes regarding allowing egg-laying fowl in residential areas must be closely coordinated with the recently approved Centre Plan and the By-law simplification program.


Regional Municipal Planning Strategy - Halifax Regional Council intends to consider, and if deemed advisable, amend the existing Regional Municipal Planning Strategy to permit the keeping of egg-laying hens. The amendments are as generally described below:

1. Amendments to the "Table of Contents" to insert the title of the new policy.
2. The inclusion of a policy directing the land-use By-laws of the municipality to permit the keeping of adult hens as an accessory use to residential uses for personal use and household food supply.

Amendments to Land Use By-laws
And take further notice that Halifax Regional Council intends to amend all the existing land use By-laws of the municipality, with the exception of the Downtown Dartmouth Land Use By-law, Halifax Peninsula Land Use By-law and Regional Centre Land Use By-law (Package A in order to implement the proposed amendments to the Regional Municipal Planning Strategy. Changes to the land use By-laws are as follows:

The inclusion of provisions for the keeping of egg-laying hens including limits to the number of hens permitted on a lot, the location of hens on a lot, setbacks from watercourses and lot lines, requirements for accessory buildings and prohibitions on slaughtering, euthanizing, and the sale of eggs, meat or hens.

Virtual Public Hearing - Date and Time

A virtual public hearing will be held by Halifax Regional Council commencing on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. All oral and written submissions will be considered at that time. It will be webcast and can be viewed online.

Virtual Hearing- How Can I Participate?

Forward a written submission: Written submissions may be forwarded to the Municipal Clerk by email, by mail, P.O. Box 1749, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3AS; or by fax, 902.490.4208. Written submissions should be received by the Municipal Clerk's office as early as possible and not later than 3:00 p.m. on October 5, 2021. Please allow sufficient time for delivery given slower than typical mail delivery times during the COVlD-19 Pandemic.

Register to speak: Contact the Municipal Clerk's Office no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, October 4, 2021, to be added to the speaker's list to speak by phone. We encourage all residents who have any desire to speak at the meeting to ask to have their name added to the list. Individuals who do not want to speak at a later time may ask to have their name removed from the speaker's list.

To be placed on the speaker's list, individuals may:
• Email; or
• Call 902.490.421O; or
• Send a fax to 902.490.4208.

In your message, please include the meeting body (Regional Council), the planning Case number (22227), in addition to your name, community of residence, email address, and telephone number.

For any questions on the process of the virtual joint public hearing, please email the Municipal Clerks Office at call 902.490.4210.

View the documents online.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: On August 31, 2021, Halifax Regional Council amended the number of hens permitted based on the size of the lot. The following amendments are not reflected in the August 31, 2021 version of the land use By-laws:

  1. Delete subsection (a) and replace it with the following:
    The maximum number of hens permitted on a lot shall be:
    i. a maximum of 10 hens on lots less than 4,000 square metres in size;
    ii. a maximum of 15 hens on lots 4,000 square metres and over but less than 6,000 square metres in size;
    iii. a maximum of 20 hens on lots 6,000 square metres and over but less than 10,000 square metres in size;
    iv. a maximum of 25 hens on lots 10,000 square metres or greater in size;

View the minutes from Halifax Regional Council (Item 7.2).

Background

  • Regional Council is considering whether to allow households to keep and raise egg-laying fowl in residential areas for personal use only.
  • The original Council motion and staff report focused on chickens, but at the July 30, 2019 session, Regional Council decided to expand the scope to include other birds kept for the purpose of egg-laying (ducks, geese, guinea fowl, quail and or turkeys).
  • This is not about farming. It is about allowing people living on residentially zoned lands, whether in the city, suburbs or rural areas, to keep a small number of domesticated birds to provide eggs for the household’s own use.
  • Raising birds for meat, selling birds or eggs would not be permitted.
  • Municipal Community Food Security initiatives and the direction of the Halifax Green Network plan support policy work on allowing egg-laying fowl in residential areas.
  • Any policy changes regarding allowing egg-laying fowl in residential areas must be closely coordinated with the recently approved Centre Plan and the By-law simplification program.