Chickens & bees
Urban farming to sprout this spring
The buzz around town is Gatineau’s new “urban farming pilot project” permitting small-scale beehives and small chicken coops in certain residential areas. The city changed its bylaws in February to permit this. All projects must have permits.
At present, the city has 40 home-owner requests and 10 community projects for laying hens. To keep hens in the city, the deadline to request a permit is March 15. The city will grant permits on a first-come, first-served basis. The permit fee is $30.
Among the rules for keeping hens, one must have a property of at least 8,093 square metres, the coop must be in the back yard, and must be kept clean. A maximum of three hens – and no roosters – must be kept inside the coops overnight, and odours must not be detected by neighbours.
For keeping bees, the application deadline was February 20.