A woman who has brought 100 chickens onto her Rockland Avenue rooming house property has called the city’s proposed 12-hen limit discriminatory against the poor.
Wei Tu, owner of a converted heritage mansion at 1322 Rockland Ave., and many of her tenants urged Victoria councillors this week not to amend the city’s Animal Control Bylaw.
“Our goal is to have 99 chickens, which will provide our residents with fresh eggs,” Tu said.
The proposed bylaw changes are “prejudiced against lower-income residents who tend to be tenants instead of property owners,” Tu said.
She said in an apartment setting there may be 50 to 100 people residing on one lot. “How can eggs from 12 chickens [be] shared among that many people?”
Tu said the mansion has 32 units in 35 rooms and each unit should be treated as one family.
Three chicken coops have been built. There are also about 20 vegetable garden beds and any chicken waste will go directly to the gardens, she said.
Some immediate neighbours have expressed concerns about Tu’s plans for the 2.2-acre lot, citing concerns about noise and open compost and worries that the farm-like operation will attract rats.
They wonder if the action is nothing more than a pressure tactic, noting that Tu 10 years ago was unsuccessful in rezoning the property so she could build two four-storey, 11-unit condo buildings and six townhouses.
But Larry Kahn, who lives directly across the street, said the objections are nothing but nimbyism.
“None of this would have come to light . . . I believe, if it wasn’t for a real spat between neighbours. This is not an issue of the Rockland neighbourhood. This is an issue between one or two neighbours who live close to 1322 Rockland Ave.,” Kahn said.
“I see no reason why the residents of 1322 Rockland Ave. should not be entitled to their chickens and their eggs.”
Several of Tu’s 35 tenants said she is a caring landlord who truly wants to help those living on the property do so in a more affordable and sustainable way.
Tenant Susie Ewing said the chickens take up a surprisingly small amount of space.
“I think that type of ecosystem is really positive for anybody to be around. It’s a positive experience to be around the natural ecosystem of animals,” Ewing said, adding that sustainability is a desirable feature.
The 2.5-storey mixed Queen Anne and Tudor-style mansion was built in 1894, making it older than the B.C. legislature buildings. It is 8,000 square feet, has 10 fireplaces, and was built for Hewitt Bostock, founder of the Province newspaper.
The limit on hens is one of several amendments to the bylaw that councillors have endorsed at committee but are yet to be passed by council.
Changes to the wording of the bylaw are being drafted and will not be before council until April.
