Sharon Jackson on Council- Battery Hens - Urban Farming - Leash Law- Tree Bylaw

Volunteer Work

In the last year I have created a number of volunteer sites for non-profit groups. Please check these out and support them if you can.

Cowichan Community Kitchens
Duncan Market in the Square
Cocker Spaniel Rescue of BC
Vancouver Island Diet- response to the 100 Mile Diet
Coming Soon...Serenity House, A sanctuary for at-risk young parents and their children.

I am also volunteering with the North American Indigenous Games, not only to help at events, but on their web site as well. Coming soon to this list will be Cowichan Cat Rescue.

Battery Hens vs. Free Range and Free Run and Organic Eggs

Duncan council was recently rebuked for passing a motion to support the use of free range and free run eggs at all city catered events. A group of farmers, represented by the owners of Farmer Ben's Eggs disagreed with the ruling. But the fact is that policies such as these are being enacted all over the western world. It seems to be the wave of the future that at the very least, battery cages will be replaced by "enriched cages" that give the hens room to move, scratch and perch. Click here to read the Vancouver Humane Society's response to the Egg Producers' presentation.

Chickens in the City!

Compass Group, the world's largest food service provider has gone "cage free" as has Denny's Restaurants, Burger King, Carl's Jr. and Hardees (in California) as well as 300 universities and institutions across Canada and the US, including the US House of Representatives. Safeway has committed to doubling the amount of cage free eggs it sells.

Free range and free run eggs taste better and look better. The problem arises with the cost to low income or fixed income people and families as battery produced eggs tend to cost less. That is why it is good to have these discussions about the care of animals, the food we eat and the food we can afford to eat.

Keep those cards and letters coming. I have received several letters on this issue as well as many comments in person when I am in public. I have also received 7 postcards from chickens. Mind you those postcards are more about "Chickens in the city." (see Urban Farming below).

They are very funny. Click here to see the chicken postcards. No matter what, people in the Cowichan region are passionate about their chickens!

Here are some other news links that show other companies and jurisdictions making decisions around battery hen egg production:
ABC News Video -Animal Cruelty at the Largest Egg Producer in California
Tesco Criticised for Battery Eggs ...Hellmans Mayonnaise goes free-range
Eastern Ontario Egg Producer goes Free Range
Animal Welfare Act set for November ballot, California
Free Range Outsell Battery Eggs in UK
Are your Easter Eggs Cruelty Free?
Eggs: A Recipe for Misery
Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario goes Cage Free
Debate rages on in Tasmania
...and Australia
White Rock, BC,
Whistler, BC
Co-op Stores in the UK goes cage free.
Rochdale UK
Free Range Eggs Taking the Market by Storm from WorldPoultry.net
Concordia University, Montreal
European Union to ban Battery Cages by 2012
UK Farmers Hit out at Battery Hen Ban
Austria 2004
Switzerland
The Future of "Enriched Cage Systems" in Canada
Cambridge UK and the Cambridge Folk Festival have gone "free range."
800,000 petitioners in California want the state to go cage-free by 2015.
Australian Minister for Primary Industries commits to bring an end to battery hen farming.

Cage-Free Cities as of March 2008

In BC
– Duncan, North Saanich, Richmond, Vancouver, Whistler
In California
- Berkeley, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, West Hollywood
In Florida
– Hollywood, New Port Richey, West Palm Beach, Winter Springs
In Maryland
- Takoma Park
In Massachusetts
- Cambridge

Urban Farming

I also want to promote urban farming and food security by permitting a small number of hens on single family lots. I am hoping that the chicken fanciers' clubs will give us a hand in writing the wording for how chickens should be kept in order to protect their health and well-being.

I am very interested in the whole topic of Food Sustainability of Vancouver Island. Check out this new web site: Vancouver Island Diet- to do with the 100 mile diet, eating locally and supporting local growers, food producers, and fishers.

Zoning changes to support the new Official Community Plan

These changes are being considered now by council. You can see a copy of the OCP by clicking here.

Animal Control Bylaw-Passed March 24th

The public responded overwhelmingly on two proposed leash free areas in the city- Rotary Park, with the exception of the top of the dyke and Centennial Park. As a result of input, the new proposed policy is that Rotary Park including the dyke will be off leash and Centennial Park will be a leashed area. This will be monitored on an ongoing basis.

I had thought at first that Centennial could be leash free too, but after talking to numerous park users who are fed up with irresponsible dog owners not cleaning up after their dogs, I changed my mind. The gardeners there are trying to grow food and are having to clean up dog dirt every day. Some young men came to the park with retrievers and were encouraging them to go after the ducks. The population has dropped from 18 to 2. This cannot continue.

Dogs must still be under the control of their owners whether they are on a leash or off. If your dog won't come when called, don't even think about taking it off the leash until it will.

Tree Bylaw- coming up soon

We will also be looking shortly at a Tree Bylaw for private land. I feel strongly that unless a tree is a weed tree, unless the tree is destroying property or infrastructure or unless the tree is diseased, it should not be removed. Trees impacted by the bylaw will be named species (and will probably not include trees such as alder). If you have an opinion on this, I would be glad to hear it. You can email me about this at " "