On May 12, the Toronto City Council voted to pause the UrbanHensTO pilot program.
UrbanHensTO launched in March 2018 allowing residents in certain areas of Toronto to have hens in their backyards. A maximum of 4 hens were allowed for the purpose of personal enjoyment and egg production, not as livestock.
Backyard hens have been on the rise since 2010 when a community in Belgium gave away chickens with the goal of reducing household food waste. (View related article about the hen program in Belgium.) The community was overwhelmed by the positive results from the initiative. News of the program's success spread, and many other cities began to adopt their own programs, including Toronto.
Since the creation of the UrbanHensTO pilot program, participants have enjoyed their exploration of animal husbandry. One of the main advantages noticed during the program is food waste reduction. Instead of filling landfills, participants feed their hens and get rid of their kitchen scraps at the same time.
On top of waste reduction, households involved in the UrbanHensTO program enjoy their daily access to fresh eggs. This is especially beneficial as many Canadians struggle to fight rising food costs.
Additionally, participants have expressed that welcoming hens in their backyard has been supportive for their mental health and an opportunity to learn about urban agriculture.
While experiencing all these benefits, participants were looking forward to the permanent implementation of the UrbanHensTO program when it was set to expire at the end of May. A public survey sent out by the City of Toronto showed that 77% of residents were in favour of expanding the city’s backyard hen program.
With ample support, it was a seemingly clear step for Toronto to follow through with their plans to make the program permanent; however, concerns around avian flu cases and cost have halted the project.
A report developed in consultation with Toronto Public Health recommended that UrbanHensTO be paused to protect poultry operations from the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The concern is that HPAI could spread from wild birds to urban hens and back through to wild birds quickly, thereby increasing the speed at which the virus spreads. HPAI has been increasing in Ontario with an estimated 849,000 birds being impacted.
The report also outlined other hurdles for a permanent program including high costs for implementation and limited access to veterinarians with poultry expereince within Toronto.
Considering the concerns and strong recommendations, city counsellors paused the UrbanHenTO pilot program with a vote of 13 to 5.
However, not all hope is lost for Torontonians passionate about keeping backyard hens as there were amendments to the bill to ensure that the UrbanHenTO program would be considered again in the future.
The Executive Director of Municipal Licensing and Standards is to report back with regulations for an expanded program, information on avian flu incidents, and details regarding backyard hen programs in other cities around the world in two years in 2025. During this time, recommendations to resume the program will be considered if the avian flu is no longer a risk.
View related article: Ontario Poultry Industry advises strict biosecurity
View related article: Boot Biosecurity