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October 22, 2008 CHICKEN WAR HAS B EEN DECLARED!!!

None of my letters have been answered by the municipality so I have gone public. Today I finished a letter to Paul Groeneveld and sent copies to local newspapers. I was pleased to see and article by Bev Wagar on the Vienna Cafe with an open letter to Mark Taylor. This is worth reading!

October 2 , 2008 Well the municipal meeting was a disaster for me. I did manage to give a talk but all three councillors present where very much against any chickens in the village. This was a dissappointment for me. The only person who seemed somewhat interested and asked good questions was the Mayor Lynn Acre. She actually asked if there was a specific problem in the compliant reistered against me and ofcourse the answer was "no" from Paul. It appears that none of the councillors understand the nature of what the future of Port Burwell could be with rising unemployment and no year round year businesses in Burwell where people can walk to work nor do they understand that the food produced by most chicken farms is inferior to what I can do in my own back yard.

Read mats presentation to council

Oct 1, 2009 Below I have just sent out an email to let people know of the thursday meeting regarding the keeping of chickens in Port Burwell

I have just been informed by someone outside than the municipal office that the council is discussing chickens at the Thursday night meeting
this week. I phoned Brenda at the office and she says it is a request by Paul to make a decision on the reading of the bylaw and Brenda was
unsure if this was centered around the chickens at my place. I have a feeling that this is very much connected with the chickens but I have
not been informed by anyone from the municipal office that this discussion will directly affect me.

It would be good if I had some kind of presentation to make at this meeting if there is a decision to be made..

Those interested in the controversy can read about it in my web site:

http://www.continuo.com/sustainable%20living/Chickens/chickens.htm

At this point no one will tell me what is actually happening at the meeting! Please come anyway if you are interested in this issue. What I
see is listed on the web site is listed below.

(d) Staff Report P2008-019 regarding Animal Control By-Law. See the attached! The email had an attachment that ourlined the problem (by Paul our enforcment office) with enforcing the bylaw and the resolution was to let those that have chickens already be granfathered in and then set up more stringent bylaws.Again no real reasons behind such a bylaw.

BE THERE TO LET YOUR FEELINGS BE KNOWN!~!

File: P16

Please note that Paul is just using the legal interpretation and not using any reason for banning chickens.

See you there thursday 7 pm at the municipal office in straffordville.

-mat
--

October 1, 2008 Wednesday. I phoned Paul on Monday twice I was told that he was busy and I could hold. I help for a long time and eventually decided to leave a message to call me. After a few hours I got no call back and was able to call again and get Paul. I asked him if there was any progress on the chickens, and his reply was that he was having a lawyer look at the bylaw. I again asked him what exactly was the complaint against the chickens and again he did not have anything.

Is this is the bureaucracy I haveto fight? I actually thought they were there to help us and if any employee has to enforce a bylaw I would hope that they had a good idea why the bylaw was being enforced. And that it takes a lawyer to interpret a law is absurb! Any good employee should question an enforcement and actually look for good reasons as to why the law is there. Just because Paul thinks that chickens are not allowed, has no copy of the law to give me, does not know the law, and has no real reason for enforceing the bylaw is absurb to me.

Sept 15, 2008. Paul came by today from the Bayham municipality to inform me that I could not have chickens in Port Burwell. I asked him the reason why and he said because "the law said so". But surely if there is a law there must be a good reason for not allowing chicken. They are quieter than a dog,are very friendly to everyone, eat all kinds of insects and kitchen scraps so they do not go into the land fill.

Here is the bylaw sent to me...

2.124 Livestockshall mean farm animals, kept for use, for propagation, or intended for profit and includes dairy and beef cattle, horses, swine, laying hens, Chicken and turkey broilers, Turkeys, goats, geese, ducks, Mink and Rabbit but excluding animals such as pets raised or housed for recreational or hobby purposes.

My reading of the above says that chickens kept as pets as a hobby is fine. But if this is not the interpretation then anyone having a rabbit as a pet is now breaking the law.

Read my reply to Paul Groeneveld's visit:

	And Paul Groeneveld wants to take my pet away! Could you please tell me personally what you object to in my having a pet chicken???? She is cuddly really! Paul if you are afraid of chickens I can help you because that how I felt before I got to know about chickens.
	The Gang making apple cider -Gynne, Stephan, Jazmin and Serena. .......Oppps and ofcourse Ginger the chicken!
	Sept 15, 2008 . Paul came by today from the Bayham municipality to inform me that I could not have chickens in Port Burwell. The kids where outraged at the thought of not being able to visit with the chickens anymore. Thats Jazmin in the chicken coop holding Ginger. She is wildly excited about the chickens and comes almost everyday to see them and play with them.
	After school a number of kids come over to play with the chickens. They are real pets and allow themselves to be picked up. The kids felt at first more comfortable picking up the chickens with Gloves but they soon came off so they felt the very soft feel of the feathers.
	Sept 12 2008 This is Jazmin who has finally mustered enough courage to hold Ginger. I feel it is very important to educate children in the care of chickens. It is new to me as well so we all have a lot to discover. While at the moment keeping chickens is not a pressing need for most I feel that to be prepared and have the experience of keeping chickens is most vital and will be a necessary part of our future.
	More neighbourhood kids feeding the chickens. The children are very curious as to what to feed them.... they galdly gather up bugs, tomatoes and whatever else to feed them. The chickens now have names.. ginger and Stripes as named by Jazzman and Stephan.
	If you want happy chickens you haveto write things on the walls!
	Mother hen in the coop?
	Mary and Rosella painting in the nesting box area.
	Sept 4, 2008 Wheels at rest after moving the chicken tractor
	This is with the wheels engaged so that the chicken coop moves like a wheel barrow.
	Wheels at rest position.
	Sept 3, 2008. Nieghbourhood kids visiting the chickens. Now they know that the chickens like all kinds of bugs and feed the chickens those tid bits! Now why don't adults visit the chickens??? Sorry I forgot that eggs come from grocery stores from chickens that are fed all manner of chemicals and do not get to see sunshine outside their confined cages...... so thats why we cannot have chickens in our back yards!!!
	And despite the rough time I gave the gals we parted friends and one day one of them will remember giving mat a very sore red nose!
	Yes even a little time for having fun when Mat wan't being his typical slave driver self!!! Brittany with her feet out the chicken door!
	Chicks in the coop!
	The gals helping one another!
	Sept 1, 2008. Thats the gal who started it all... Rosella. Here she is sawing the 2x2 fro the roof. Yes it was hard to learn how to saw but a skill worth having.
	Sept 1, 2008. Rosella brought her friend Brittany along to help build her hen house. those gals really did do a lot of sawing and screwing the strucure together.
	These are the chickens that sean loaned me.... I'm getting one egg a day which is just enough for the moment. Any more and I'll haveto start pickling them. they do not like fresh squash but will eat zucchini and really like fresh corn! I have a lot to learn.
	View from above!
	The other side of the coop.
	A finished Chicken tractor... and yes Dusky the cat was interested in the new birds
	More detail of the nesting box.
	August 16, 2008 -Progress on the chicken pen
	Now how is that for a colourful bird!!! yes a bantam!
	Most of the birds where roosters but we did find egg layers too and people contacts for more information and help in getting birds.
	This is Rosella at the Aylmer Fair where we went to investigate chickens! Rosella does the academic stuff... I'm in charge of the building project!
	This is the start of my Nesting box which will sir on top of the chicken tractor.