A Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) staff report is recommending a ban on roosters outside the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) in Halfmoon Bay, Elphinstone and the mainland part of West Howe Sound.
Staff was scheduled to present the report to the SCRD board’s planning and development committee on Thursday, Sept. 18.
The board’s direction for staff to prepare a rooster control bylaw was part of a resolution from an in-camera meeting in July, senior planner David Rafael noted in his report to the committee.
“The issue of roosters as a source of noise has become a concern in several locations, including residential areas, of the Sunshine Coast,” Rafael said. “For the most part the SCRD has handled this by requesting that the roosters be removed from the property or not be replaced when they die. This has had mixed results.”
Current zoning bylaws allow poultry — roosters and hens — in most zones, subject to specific conditions such as minimum site area.
The proposed bylaw would exclude Pender Harbour, the Sechelt Indian Government District, Roberts Creek and Gambier and Keats islands, which fall under the jurisdiction of Islands Trust. Also excluded are ALR lands and Crown lands designated for farming.
In his report, dated Sept. 9, Rafael recommended the committee forward the bylaw to the board for first and second reading, with consideration of third reading and adoption at a board meeting in October.
While there is no legislative requirement to consult the public, Rafael said the board could consult anyway, “as the issue of food security, roosters and poultry is of interest to the community.”
The report also recommended a $50 fine for non-compliance.
Contacted Tuesday, board chair Garry Nohr, who is the director for Halfmoon Bay, said the proposed bylaw “is not the bylaw I was looking for” and predicted it would not be as “heavy” after the committee makes changes.
“I think the end result will be one of really looking at the size of the property and how close they are to neighbours,” Nohr said, adding that one possibility would be not allowing roosters on properties smaller than a half-acre in residential areas.
“This bylaw is as far as it could go. We’ve got to sort it out to something that’s a bit more reasonable,” he said. “I know the way it stands, I wouldn’t support it.”
The bylaw also has to be compatible with the Agricultural Area Plan that is nearing adoption, he added.
“I think something very reasonable will come out of it Thursday.”
Nohr said rooster complaints had been an issue in Halfmoon Bay for about two years until recently, when the problem was remedied.
