Council passes new pet bylaw after amendments – chickens now allowed in town

by Tristan Turner
Morinville News Correspondent

Following multiple rounds of amendments, passes and rescinding of readings and debate, Council has now passed a rework of pet ownership policy in Morinville, changes that will make significant changes to pet registration and enforcement in Morinville.

Chief among these changes included allowing the framework for the registering of nearly any safe animal, including chickens or other less common animal companions through a permitting process. This approval comes following passage of 2nd and 3rd reading of the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw.

Chickens

A motion arising was made by Councillor Rob Ladouceur to limit the number of applicants for chickens to 10 people having a maximum of six chickens each. The motion further limits the registry of unusual animals to just chickens during a one-year trial period for the Bylaw. The Bylaw will be reviewed by Council at the end of the year.

The motion passed with only Deputy Mayor Brennan Fitzgerald voting against because he felt it was unnecessary because administration already had direction from Council, eliminating the need to be in the motion. “I already have faith that the correct decisions [by administration] will be made,” he said.

Those interested in keeping chickens will have specific requirements imposed on them for housing size and style, as well as the need to have taken proper training.

Dogs on a leash

The new law takes effect at the end of the year and will also bring a new on-leash requirement across town (aside from designated off-leash areas), meaning residents will now be required to keep their dogs restrained at all times when in public or face a fine.

Dogs and cats to be registered, not licensed

Owners also will now receive discounts when registering their dogs and cats for completing responsible pet owner tasks, such as neutering their animal and microchipping.

Registering a dog or cat is $100 initially. That amount drops to $50 if the animal is spayed or neutered. The registration drops to $25 if the animal has also been microchipped or tattooed.

Once the animal is registered, the annual renewal fee is $10 per animal, and the animal keeps the same tag throughout its life.

Animal owners will be able to provide permission to include their phone number in the database so that found animals can be searched on the Town website so residents can contact the owner.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

31 Comments

    • never mind…i just called…will not take effect til next year and more informations will get out later this year. sooooo excited….

      • Yeah, it says in the article starts next year. There will be an educational program from the Town to break it in – we are sure. They do that typically whenever bylaws change.

    • Cats are not permitted to roam. That remains unchanged from the previous bylaw, although earlier drafts wanted to eliminate cats from enforcement altogether.

  1. Great. Not only are there going to be cats and dogs roaming the streets, now there are going to be chickens too. Great idea Morinville.

  2. Nothing like the smell of pet food and ammonia (from chickens) ramming up your nostrils while trying to relax in your backyard. I can’t wait until we get an asphalt plant to be the cherry on top!

    • you have no clue…. chickens don’t stink….. if you keep your coop clean. ever lived beside dog owners that let shit their dogs the whole winter and in spring when the snow melts the smell comes up????? well i did, and i can tell you it’s worse than 6 chickens in a daily cleaned coop.

  3. lol…if i read the comments of some people i shake my head…. they don’t have a clue… chickens are actually more quiet than all day barking dogs, smell less than dog shit in your neighbours yard and if you can’t take care of them and have a yard where they can get away then i hope town of morinville will not give permission. i want chickens for years and we build our fence safe and high enough already in case our dream comes true.

  4. also people should look more for the benefit. hey, if your neighbour has chickens you will benefit from it. they will get rid of pests like bugs, worms,ants and mosquitos and they eat weeds (no use of bee killing poison!!!!)

Comments are closed.