By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
The RM of Corman Park has finally approved a process that would allow for the keeping of backyard chickens in areas beyond what is currently allowed under the Keeping of Animals Bylaw.
During the planning committee meeting on November 4, the committee voted to recommend that council approve a process for authorizing requests to keep poultry in organized hamlets, in subdivisions with community associations and in other country residential developments within Partnership 4 Growth (P4G) lands.
This recommendation was then adopted by council at the November 25 meeting.
As noted in a background report, administration was directed on July 22, 2024 to work with P4G partners to investigate support for a limited range of agricultural operations, including the keeping of poultry, in P4G Country Residential zoning districts.
A separate motion from that 2024 meeting provided administration with an approved process to review requests for ‘backyard chickens’ in country residential subdivsions within Corman Park.
The RM’s Keeping of Animals Bylaw 04-21 only permits poultry to be kept in the Organized Hamlets of Furdale, Neuhorst and Beaver Creek, as well as the Janzen Subdivision at NE-32-38-6-W3.
However, this old Keeping of Animals bylaw is slated to be replaced by the new Animal Control Bylaw 41-25, which previously received first reading at the September 23 council meeting.
The new draft bylaw, which will also replace the outdated Dogs At Large Bylaw, will return to council for second and third reading in early 2026, as council had directed administration to first develop a public information, awareness and communications plan to inform residents of the new minimum standards and enforcement procedures.
With this new bylaw, administration indicated there is now an opportunity to allow the approval of new requests to keep backyard chickens utilizing the old process from July 2024.
“The inclusion of P4G lands (in the new bylaw) will allow for the implementation of the approved process already in place,” administration noted.
Under this process, the board of an organized hamlet must pass a motion to support the keeping of poultry, including the identification of a minimum parcel size, by requesting Corman Park council amend the Animal Control Bylaw to permit that use.
Also, in country residential zoned developments within P4G that are not part of an organized hamlet, residents will have to request, in writing, an amendment to the Animal Control Bylaw to permit the keeping of chickens on their parcel. A fee of $215 must accompany this application.
Upon receiving the request, the RM would send a notice to all assessed landowners in that country residential development and allow for responses to be sent in for 21 days.
Once that time period is up, administration would then prepare a report about the request for council.
Chief Administrative Officer Kerry Hilts clarified in an e-mail that the process will be contained in an appendix to the bylaw.
Division 2 Councillor John Saleski, who made the motion to approve this recommendation to council, said, “This is a good little report that was put together. I think it covers all the bases. It makes a lot of common sense and I think it solves some issues that ratepayers have.”
Saleski noted he recently received another e-mail about keeping chickens in the hamlet of Grasswood.
Division 6 Councillor Steven Balzer also voiced his support for the process. “I think it’s common sense applied and it’s fantastic,” he added