So, we have a two-year pilot project for backyard chickens in Chatham-Kent. Finally.
It does come at a high price: $485 just to get involved, and an annual fee of $125.
Thankfully, council headed off a proposal to make all taxpayers share some of the cost of backyard chicken licensing.
Councillors Ryan Doyle and Rhonda Jubenville both thought the $485 startup price should be drastically reduced and other taxpayers could share the load.
This was a nonsensical request. We understand the desire to keep fees down, as the concept of people having their own chickens is to cut costs at the grocery store in terms of having ready access to a supply of fresh eggs. But why should other taxpayers, especially ones who are excluded from even having the opportunity to have chickens of their own, help pay so others benefit?
A condo owner in Chatham, for example, will never have the chance to have their own chickens. It would be incredibly unfair for them to be forced to pay more in taxes so someone else can have access to fresh eggs.
Perhaps the condominium owner is a senior on a fixed income; that situation is even more untenable.
No, if you want to have chickens, it’s your cost to bear. We understand the desire to be less beholden to Big Grocery given the post COVID spike in inflation and massive profits from corporate food suppliers. But there is no reason to expect others to pay for your decision.
Not everyone who want to raise chickens are barely getting by, either. There will inevitably be families with very stable incomes who wish to participate. It’s unfair to pressure people who are barely making ends meet and don’t even qualify for this pilot project to help fund the well-to-dos in owning chickens.
If sharing the load is so important, then perhaps council could make things overly complex (as if they have not done that already). Look at ability to pay for everyone who signs up and assign a fee-sharing rate. It remains user-pay, provides a share-the-load element as well.
We’re pretty sure that won’t fly.
Or better yet, perhaps the councillors in favour of helping chicken raisers will pony up some of their own council coin to help.
