A draft version of Fernie’s animal control bylaw which would allow for backyard hens has been completed and is currently going through an internal review, according to city staff.
The information was revealed during Fernie’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Tues. Jan. 17th. at the request of Gaetane Carignan from the Community Energy Association and Dawn Deydey from Elk Valley’s Wildsight branch.
The pair presented a progress report on the Fernie Food Action Strategy at the meeting. Carignan and Deydey co-authored the report in 2021.
Funded by the Real Estate Foundation of BC, the report consists of four main strategy recommendations and examples of actions to integrate food systems into existing municipal services. One of the four main recommendations is to allow backyard hens.
“Fernie needs enabling policy to reduce unnecessary obstacles and barriers to urban food production,” Carignan said.
The neighbourhood of West Fernie is currently the only part of the city where raising backyard hens is permitted.
The animal bylaw currently undergoing internal review would allow for backyard hens across all of Fernie.
Currently, more than 25 municipalities in B.C. allow for backyard hens.
“The potential challenges of hens in an urban context have already been successfully dealt with in other similar B.C. municipalities,” Carignan said.
An official first draft of the bylaw currently undergoing internal review will be brought before Fernie city council in the spring.
Before then, Carignan and Deydey will be hosting a webinar on backyard hens on Feb. 16th.
Anyone interested in registering for the webinar and learning more about the Fernie Food Action Strategy can do so at wildsight.ca/foodaction.