Châteauguay Opens Door for Urban Chicken

Châteauguay elected officials are considering adopting a by-law to govern raising chickens on its territory. This practice is currently forbidden. The number of homes that could take the fowl under their wings would be limited to 100 at first. “I am very pleased that council accepted the submission of this draft regulation,” expressed Mayor Pierre-Paul Routhier at the May 17 city council meeting. The projected by-law would allow one hundred owners of single-family dwellings to obtain a permit for building a chicken coop where they would keep between two and four hens. The cost would be $50. “The plans for the chicken coop will have to be submitted. Once everything has been done in due form, it will be studied by the City once again,” the city magistrate explained. “It is a pilot project. We will see how it works over a two-year period,” the Mayor specified. The draft regulation to make this a reality will be tabled at the next council meeting in July. “Roosters will not be permitted,” the Mayor stated. Opposition City Councillor Marcel Deschamps announced that he would vote against the draft regulation. He would not tolerate his own neighbours having chickens, he justified. “What’s not good for me isn’t good for the citizens that I represent,” he affirmed. (Translation Amanda Bennett)