Thursday, March 28, 2024

Fair or fowl

Mulgrave to hold backyard farm animal plebiscite

  • April 14 2021
  • By Lois Ann Dort, Local Journalism Initiative reporter    

MULGRAVE – If you have ever attended a Town of Mulgrave council meeting you’ve likely heard about chickens.

Mulgrave Mayor Ron Chisholm told The Journal that allowing residents to keep backyard farm animals, mainly chickens, has been a constant topic at council since he first became a councillor seven years ago.

At a regular council meeting on April 6, councillors unanimously passed a motion to move ahead with a plebiscite to settle the issue, after receiving yet another complaint about the issue.

Chisholm said that the plebiscite would, “Give the people of the town their voice.”

“Let it be done; we’re just tired of dealing with it,” he added.

The date and question for the plebiscite will be set in the coming weeks.

Other business

Council passed a motion on funding for Eastern Counties Regional Library (ECRL). In the 2021- 2022 fiscal year, Mulgrave will provide the ECRL with $2,600 for curbside pickup service at the ECRL Headquarters on Murray Street. The library at this location will not be open to the public. For walk in service, Mulgrave will provide $3,136 to support operations at the ECRL branch in Port Hawkesbury.

Council also voted in favour of a motion to purchase surveillance cameras for use in several key locations in the town to reduce vandalism. Over the past year, there has been a spate of vandalism incidents, which not only destroyed and defaced public property, but also created a safety risk to the public through the removal of a roadway barrier on Mill Street last February.