ScaleDown Alumni Celebrates Breakthrough in PEI
I don’t really believe this could be considered a “Win” for ScaleDown, but it is definitely something we can all be proud of.
Josh Biggley’s PEI adventures knows no bounds! In this news story from CBC, we find out that the Biggley clan, despite breaking the bylaw that allows chickens in Charlottetown, is being allowed to keep them!
Urban chicken ‘experiment’ watched by Charlottetown
The City of Charlottetown says it has no problem with backyard chickens, as long as there are no complaints.
A flock of a dozen birds in Lewis Point Park recently came to council’s attention. Angela Biggley told CBC News Wednesday she never kept chickens before, but she and her husband wanted to try it because they’re increasingly concerned about what they’re eating.
“That was something we could do to improve the quality of our food,” said Biggley, whose home is in the northwest of the city.
“We know how happy our chickens are, our hens. We know what they eat and how they are kept and so we know the quality of the eggs we are getting from them is superb.”
Biggley cleans out the chicken coop every day. They’re fed and watered and supervised when they’re outside their enclosure. They are even held and petted.
“We’re trying to teach our children we are responsible for them in the way you are responsible for a dog or a cat, but they’re different in that they’re our hens. They produce food for us, and sometimes roosters become food for us.”
Angela Biggley has never kept chickens before. City bylaws do not allow livestock to be kept within city limits, but Mayor Clifford Lee said council is not worried about the Biggley chickens.
“As far as I know this is the first case in the city of Charlottetown and we are simply sitting back watching how — we’ll call it an experiment — goes for the time being,” said Lee.
Lee said the city might have to act if it was a commercial operation, or if there were complaints from neighbours. None of the neighbours CBC News talked to has a problem with the hens.
“Having a few chickens two doors away from me doesn’t bother me at all,” said neighbour Lorne Lea.
Read the whole story HERE
Check out the video as well! The Biggley’s story begins at the 6:16 mark.
Way to go, Biggley Clan! Hopefully, after Mondays council meeting when they pass the 10 ward boundary option, you can be as proud of us as we are of you!
Tags: Josh Biggley, PEI, urban chickens
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One small chicken for the family, one huge idea for food security! Do you know where your food comes from!
Atta go Josh and family!
Let’s just be clear though, there are no by-laws that explicitly prevent urban hens. There is a land-use by-law that might be twisted to be interpreted as such, a noise by-law (roosters are out) and an unsightly property by-law. As much as I would like to play the “bad boy”, I am really only exercising my existing rights to land-use.
Thanks for kudos anyway
You’re a badboy, rabble-rouser, Biggley! Whether you like it or not!