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Smiths Falls council passed the by-law to allow backyard hens in a 4-3 vote Monday night.
The vote came following two delegations earlier in the night speaking both for and against the motion.
Secondhand Stories Chicken Sanctuary Co-Founder Liz Wheeler addressed council and reiterated her concerns about allowing backyard hens into town.
She highlighted potential health issues for both hens and humans, such as the risk of avian flu.
Wheeler previously spoke to myFM ahead of her delegation.
Danny Radford was the original delegate in April 2024 who proposed the pilot project. He reiterated his support while saying he shared some concerns with Wheeler but disputed others.
Mayor Shawn Pankow says this by-law puts the onus of responsibility on the owners, the same way other by-laws do with different animals.
Councillor Chris McGuire’s been a champion of the project and explained what will come from the by-law.
Both Pankow and McGuire acknowledged the fact the by-law is a one-year pilot project, and if problems arrive during the twelve months they can review and direct staff to make any changes, including not renewing the project.
You can read the by-law yourself here, and we’ll have more from Wheeler on-air and online Tuesday.
The pilot project was pushed through with the votes going as follows:
Jay Brennan – Nay
Dawn Quinn – Nay
Jennifer Miller – Yay
Peter McKenna – Yay
Chris McGuire – Yay
Stephen Robinson – Nay
Shawn Pankow – Yay
Story by Grant Deme