River City Chickens Collective is a small, informal group of citizens who would like to see Edmontonians join the ranks of people in hundreds of cities around the world who enjoy people having chickens right in their own backyards: cities like Victoria, Vancouver, Guelph, Niagara Falls, Brampton, New York, LA, Portland, Seattle, Houston, Madison and hundreds more .... Chickens have been living in cities for centuries and continue to be in most parts of the world today (including most of Europe).

In February, 2010 we requested the City's permission to conduct a year-long pilot project to study the experiences of a small number of residents keeping hens in their backyards; the data compiled would be used to help the City evaluate the benefits of permitting hens on a city-wide basis. In August, 2010 we received a letter from a City official, advising us that "decisions regarding requests and proposals for exemptions to the Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw should be postponed until they can be evaluated in the context of the upcoming work to develop the City-wide food and agriculture strategy."  In March, 2011 we wrote again to inquire about the status of our proposal and we were told, to our surprise, that the City considers that it denied our application in that August letter.

The City is now working on their food and agriculture strategy. You can follow the City's progress at this link:
http://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/urban_planning_and_design/food-urban-agriculture-project.aspx

Please note that we are not an official group with standing before the City.

I am adding my name to the growing numbers of citizens asking for ‘Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw 13145’ to be amended to allow laying hens within the City of Edmonton.Chickens have lived symbiotically with humans for thousands of years for a large variety of sensible reasons.  As pets, they are friendly and social. Hens are quieter than, and pose no risk of aggressive violence like dogs. They’re more easily contained than an outdoor cat. By virtue of their small size, hens are better suited to the small spaces offered by the urban environment than many pets currently allowed by the bylaw.  Unlike other pets, hens provide the following benefits to their owners and community: 

• high quality local food [eggs]
• chemical-free insect control in gardens
• reduced haulage of city waste by consuming household kitchen waste
• rich soil amendment from composted manure
• increased connection to one’s food source
• increased local food security

In keeping with Edmonton’s progressive nature, I ask that council follow the lead of many cities who have already led the way [Vancouver, Victoria, Guelph, Portland, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, etc], and allow hens within the City of Edmonton.