Hens/Bees Bylaws now in effect

Last September - Williams Lake City Council adopted bylaws to permit Hens and Bees inside the City of Williams Lake.  The Cariboo Regional District is currently looking at the same for rural areas but the Regional Board has not made any final decisions

On Oct 2nd, 2013 - the City of Williams Lake said:

The City of Williams Lake has recently adopted bylaws to allow the keeping of hens (not roosters), as well as beekeeping on single family and two family residential properties. While this is an exciting opportunity for a number of residents, the City wishes to remind residents that certain regulations must be adhered to and procedures must be followed in order to proceed with these activities.

1. The bylaws enabling these activities are not to come into effect until January 1, 2014. Adoption was delayed to ensure that residents take the opportunity to properly prepare for these activities and acquire their animals only after they have fulfilled all requirements of and acquired the necessary license(s).
2. A license, similar to a dog license, is required prior to beginning the activity of hen or beekeeping.
3. The regulations are in place to ensure the safety and welfare of animals and their owners, as well as the continued comfort and enjoyment of living on neighbouring properties.

The City will be preparing public education material, licensing procedural documents, and, possibly workshops to educate interested residents on how to develop suitable facilities and obtain licenses through the winter. If you are interested in being advised of such workshops, please contact Chris Hutton, Planning Technician at chutton@williamslake.ca or (250) 392-1770.

If you were one of those City residents during the public consultation sessions who expressed support to permit Bees/Hens inside City boundaries - I encourage you to contact the City to start the process to allow you to have either Bees or Hens on your property...

~SF