KAITY BROWN
How would you feel about having rabbits and chickens in your backyard? What about your neighbours backyard? Now is the time to speak up.
Rob Palermo is a local, living in Marysville, who is advocating for Kimberley and surrounding area to have rabbits and chickens in backyards.
“I think that everyone should have the right to provide themselves with healthy food options,” Palermo said in his presentation to City Council Monday evening.
He presented his ideas in a comprehensive letter to city saying everyone should have the right, if they wish to provide for themselves healthier, natural, safe and cost effective means of getting food.
“Our children are learning about the food chain and the cycle of life as well as responsibility and animal welfare,” Palermo wrote in his letter.
Palermo says that he currently has six chickens that provide him with about four to five eggs a day and he has three rabbits that provide meat for his family.
The rabbits will not over-populate because Palermo says they are carefully monitored and that this particular kind of rabbit does not produce a huge litter as some do.
“All of our animals are treated as part of the family and treated with respect and dignity and fed healthy natural food,” wrote Palermo in his letter to the city.
After a conversation he had with one of his neighbours, Palermo removed the rabbits to accommodate others in his vicinity.
“We have taken appropriate measured to ensure our choice of raising these animals will not be affecting our neighbours and believe the measures taken would fall into guidelines set up by other neighbouring cities like Invermere and Nelson,”
With regards to attracting unwanted predators, Palermo said that the chickens don’t smell and there needs to be a strong smell for there to be attraction.
As well, the issue of slaughter causing disease was brought up, however Palermo explained that there are two safe options for slaughter - one being to take out the animals in the bush and slaughter there, leaving extras for animals, the other to take the animals to a professional mean butcher facility.
Growing your own food reduces the carbon footprint as well, explains Palermo, another one of the reasons why he is advocating for the backyard livestock.
“If there is an inspection required of our backyard by the bylaw officer to ensure that everything is within acceptable levels of smell and harassment factor, I will gladly show them what we have going on,” Palermo wrote in his letter.
After his presentation to Council about the subject, it was decided that Palermo would have to create a petition and gather more interested parties.
To contact Rob Palermo in support of the project you can call 250-420-7529.
City Council said that there would be a Town Hall meeting to have a proper discussion about the subject and information about that will be distributed to the public at a later date.
It’s up to Kimberley — this is the time to voice your opinion on the subject.