Three-year-old Amber Leduc's favorite thing to do is to visit her great aunt's farm.
"She loves nothing more than coming out and collecting eggs. She talks to them. She named them. It’s her daily chore to come out here and look after the creatures,” said Amber’s father, Jordan Leduc.
He said the chore teaches his daughter a valuable lesson.
"She just really learned the attachment to knowing where her food comes from,” said Leduc. “That’s really good, wholesome grounding for a child, (and) that’s something I believe our generation of people are missing out on.”
Food sustainability and food security are some of the reasons why Leduc proposed 'The Pilot Project' to Moose Jaw city council on July 31. The project would allow chickens to be raised in the backyard of select residents in Moose Jaw.
Leduc said allowing chicken to grow in the backyard also keeps nasty pests away.
“They look after bugs, beetles, worms and things that we don’t want in our backyards, so they are a very multi-faceted creature for us,” said Leduc.
Recently, more than half the council members voted against the pilot project. The city said this is due to animal welfare concerns, and the lack of bylaw enforcement officers to impose regulations.
Leduc said he understands members of the community are concerned about the wellbeing of the animal, which is why he said there needs to be strict regulations in place to ensure that chickens are not abused.
Councilor Don Mitchell was one of those in favor of the project. He said allowing this bylaw to pass would have been a step to the right direction.
"They may have an exaggerated notion of what the impact would be,” said Mitchell. “If it’s regulated, we would be talking about (having) proper pens and small numbers. (But), people just don’t want to be bothered with what they see as potential risks.”
Even though Moose Jaw city council has denied Jordan Leduc's proposal, Leduc said he will not give up. He hopes to reintroduce his proposal sometime in the future.
