Morinville council has reached for the brakes on its proposed new pet bylaw after learning that it could theoretically allow residents to keep elephants as pets.
Morinville council voted unanimously to send its proposed animal control bylaw back to its committee of the whole last Nov. 24 instead of holding second reading.
The bylaw is a complete rewrite of the town's old pet bylaw, and addresses controversial subjects such as dog leashes, cats, and urban agriculture.
The bylaw, if passed, would require all dogs in town to be leashed while not on their owner's land or in an off-leash park. It also creates rules for the use of off-leash parks.
It also proposes to allow cats to run at large unless they have been registered under a voluntary cat-licensing program. The current law fines any owner who allows a cat to roam off their land and has no form of cat licensing.
And it would create an exemption permit that would, in theory, let a resident keep any animal as a pet provided it was legal to own in Canada and Alberta.
"Quite honestly, unique animal ownership is a huge trend right now," William Norton, the town's supervisor of enforcement services, said to council, so this bylaw sets out a process that would let an officer approve any animal.
"We could be talking pigeons, chickens, bees, pigs, skunks, reptiles of any sort, goats, squirrels," he said.
"It actually opens the door for the permitting of the ownership of an elephant."
As the town's bylaw service would not be able to manage elephants, any elephant permits would be denied, he added.
Rules unclear, says council
Although the bylaw states that animals in town are not to be deprived of adequate food or shelter or left injured or exposed to the elements, it does not detail how or when town officials would issue a permit for an animal that is not a dog or cat.
Norton told council that the permitting system would require all animals to be permanently identified (e.g. micro-chipped) so that they could be returned to their owners. Bylaw would use best practices from other communities when it came to regulating animals.
"Any permit application that comes in for any type of animal would have the same kind of set of questions," he said, such as the owner's ability to house the animal, the town's ability to handle it if it escapes, and the availability of local animal shelters.
Norton said he did not anticipate getting "overrun" with requests for permits for animals such as chickens, but that he would call for a formal chicken regulation if there were a lot of them.
Coun. Stephen Dafoe disagreed, saying he would anticipate at least 20 applicants for backyard chickens right out of the gate.
"The people looking for exemption permits for spotted lynx or honey badgers might be one every 10 years, but chickens, I think, there is general interest out there."
He said he would prefer a standalone chicken bylaw.
Coun. Nicole Boutestein called for the bill to be sent back for more information.
"You have the idea but it is not on paper," she said to Norton, regarding how the permits would work, and that knowledge would leave town if Norton left. It's council's job to make sure these rules are documented.
Dafoe agreed, saying that there was not enough detail here for him to make a decision on backyard chickens, which would be managed through the permits.
"I'm not prepared to say, 'An exemption permit is OK, figure it out as we go.'"
Other issues
Residents lined up to voice concerns about how the law would affect backyard chickens, cats, and dogs.
Madison Taylor, 9, stood on tiptoes to reach the podium mike and espouse the benefits of backyard chickens. It would be fun to have "little feathery friends" at home, she said, and educational, as it would teach students about the source of eggs.
"I think it would be awesome to tell and show my friends in the Girl Guides unit about how cool chickens are."
Her mother, Amy, said the town should follow the lead of Red Deer and other communities and allow backyard chickens with restrictions, such as a four-to-six chicken per home cap, a ban on roosters and slaughter, and a minimum coop size requirement.
Elyse Prince opposed the changes to the cat rules, saying they would encourage irresponsible pet owners.
"If your neighbourhood is running rampant with stray kittens or cats, the current bylaw protects you."
Former town councillor Joe Gosselin said the proposed changes would punish responsible pet owners, as they would only be fined for having their cat run at large if they voluntarily registered it. Unregistered cats could run free without fines.
"Thanks for being responsible, we now know who to send the ticket to!" he quipped.
A report to council suggested that the town spent about $16,300 on impounded cats last year, and had little success in returning them to their owners. The current law was ineffective in compelling owners to keep their cats under control.
The bylaw returns for debate this January.
