This is a regular CATCH summary of votes at committee and council meetings. This report covers the month of April 2018. The first line of each entry identifies the issue, followed by a brief description. This is followed by the location of the vote. Multiple votes on the same issue are reported together. Absentees are only listed where reported in the minutes and where the missing councillors are members of that committee or decision-making body. Links are provided to source documents. Note that the vast majority of council decisions are unanimous and the votes are not officially recorded. Posting of minutes remains quite delayed.
Backyard chickens
A citizen delegation request led to a motion at planning committee to ask staff to update a 2012 report on allowing hens to be kept in backyards, looking at food security and actions by other municipalities as well as the health concerns about ticks. The motion was defeated by the committee without a recorded vote, but Farr and Green subsequently asked council to re-open the discussion on the matter. Councillors Collins, Partridge and Pearson were opposed to discussing it but the majority supported the debate request. However the Farr/Green motion was ultimately rejected 5-10.
At City Council, April 11 Minutes p7-8 (5-10)
For: Farr, Green, A Johnson, Merulla, Vanderbeek
Against: Collins, Eisenberger, Ferguson, Jackson, B Johnson, Partridge, Pasuta, Pearson, Skelly, Whitehead
Absent: Conley