OAK BAYNEWS Cougars survive Islanders
A colourful lifeline
The Victoria Cougars used a wicked power play game to get past the Kerry Park Islanders and into the finals. Sports, Page A20
Pandora Arts Collective gives sense of community to those who attend. Arts, Page A15
Local Market Expert
JIM BAILEY www.jimbailey.ca jimbailey@royallepage.ca 1933 Oak Bay Avenue 250-592-4422
Watch for breaking news at www.oakbaynews.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Chickens come home to roost Municipality supports proposed changes to urban poultry rules Ryan Flaherty News staff
Don Denton/News staff
March roars in like a lion High winds that buffeted Greater Victoria on Monday cut off power to hundreds of customers in Oak Bay and knocked down trees along Beach Drive on the Victoria Golf Club course including this large evergreen.
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Reduced restrictions for raising chickens in Oak Bay are one step closer to reality. A series of recommendations for possible amendments to the municipality’s Animal Control bylaw were approved last Monday at a meeting of Oak Bay’s committee of the whole. The biggest change outlined in a memo to council from Roy Thomassen, director of building and planning, would see an outright elimination of the minimum lot size required for keeping hens. Lots smaller than 1,114 square metres would be permitted to house coops containing up to five Coun. Kevin hens, while those greater than or Murdoch equal to that size could have up to 10 of the birds. In addition, the rear and side lot setback requirement for coops would be reduced from 20 to 15 feet, and a rear lot line setback of 6.5 feet would be added where the lot abuts a lane. Many of the recommendations are modelled off existing urban poultry regulations in Saanich and Vancouver. They include the elimination of current permit requirements in favour of a poultry registration system, and the introduction of coop size limitations. The maximum allowable coop size would be 9.8 square metres, keeping it under the threshold where they would necessitate a building permit. Education was also emphasized via the suggestion of adding information about backyard chickens to the municipality’s website. There was some discussion at the meeting of the potential nuisance implications that urban poultry could pose. PLEASE SEE: New rules for city chicks, Page A5
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