07-15-2015, 08:07 AM
(07-14-2015, 06:59 PM)clasher Wrote: My opposition doesn't stem from some sort of suburban idealism, I live in one of the densest areas of the city and I don't think there's really enough room in this neighbourhood to keep chickens in anyone's back yard. They stopped keeping other livestock in cities before the suburbs were a thing and I think that was progress. Urban noise and stink issues have improved in the last 100 years and I don't think we should allow hobby farming in the city. The slippery slope argument can also be made that if we start allowing a couple chickens then we'll have to consider goats and pigs too, I mean a small pig isn't much bigger or louder than a couple dogs...
I usually dislike this "slippery slope/thin edge of the wedge" argument. We are not discussing goats and pigs. We through the municipal government should be perfectly capable of discussing each issue in isolation, and deciding where a balance should be struck. Allowing a few chickens subject to sensible rules doesn't mean anything for keeping other animals.
By the by, I also had a neighbour who had a goat, in a dense inner-city neighbourhood, and the complaint that eventually led to its being taken away was not caused by its impact on any of the neighbours. I didn't think it was too bad. But I'm not sure goats are something we need to talk about right now. As for pigs, Vietnamese pot belly pigs and other small breeds are often kept as pets not unlike dogs, and their ownership is regulated in some municipalities in Ontario.