City of WL consults public on Backyard Bees/Hens

Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:

The public is invited to provide feedback to the City of Williams Lake as it considers whether to amend bylaws to allow the keeping of hens and bees on single family and duplex residential properties. Throughout the legislative and consultation process, hens and bees bylaws will be considered separate.

Urban hen and beekeeping are growing phenomena in cities across North America and many residents have expressed an interest in keeping hens and/or bees for personal use. These practices would be considered a positive step for a number of reasons, including the following:

1. Food security by providing eggs, meat, compost, honey and other bee products;
2. Opportunities to learn about where food comes from;
3. Reduces carbon offsets.

However, benefits must be weighed against concerns such as health risks, nuisance, animal welfare, and the attraction of pests and predators. The City has proposed a number of regulations to ensure public safety, livable neighbourhoods, and to protect the welfare of the animal.

Surveys on hens and bees that seek opinions on urban hen and beekeeping as well as feedback on some of the proposed regulations are available on the City’s website at www.williamslake.ca. Two public information sessions for each of hens and bees will also be held on the following dates:

Hens: June 11, 2013 – 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm and June 19, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm.
Bees: June 12, 2013 – 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm and June 17, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm.

The goal of these sessions is to provide as much information as possible so that residents who wish to provide feedback at the public hearing stage may do so by way of written submission or survey. A public hearing, as required pursuant to the Local Government Act, will be held near the end of the bylaw consideration processes, should Council decide to proceed to that point. The public hearing is the time to make submissions for and against a proposal.

E-mail submissions of questions are welcome at this stage. Residents are asked to separate comments on either beekeeping or hen keeping by sending messages to: hen@williamslake.ca or bee@williamslake.ca.