Are the days numbered for Frank the Shrewsbury Chicken?
A weather predicting chicken is at the centre of a renewed debate on backyard chickens in Chatham-Kent ahead of this year’s Groundhog Day.
For last six years on the Saturday that follows Feb. 2, “Frank the Shrewbury Chicken” has perfectly predicted the arrival of spring along with owner Mark Wright.
“It’s serious of course, yes, for me anyway,” Wright said. “And Frank's demise could be coming along soon too you know.”
An emotional Wright said he has until Feb. 11 to find new living arrangements for Frank and his other chickens after local bylaw enforcement informed him he couldn’t keep the birds in his backyard pen.
“I have been served to cease and desist,” Wright said. “But I can't sell them right now because of the Avian Flu. You can't take him to an auction or you can't take him to a slaughterhouse, which I wouldn't do anyways because I couldn't see my pets killed.”
Wright said he and Frank still plan to put on their prognosticating performance on Saturday, Feb. 4 while municipal council discusses the matter next week.
Franks the Shrewsbury chicken in Shrewsbury, Ont. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
“I've had these chickens around here for 22 years. I never knew there was any kind of a bylaw,” Wright told CTV News. “There is a petition from the residents in my favor, being forwarded to the council and administration now that Chatham-Kent is doing a survey to find out how people feel about having backyard chickens.“
Earlier this month, South-Kent Coun. Anthony Ceccacci put forward a motion for discussion and a vote at the next council meeting asking for a community survey to be conducted regarding backyard chickens.
Several petitions have started circulating in support.
“Just looking for community feedback,” Ceccacci said. “Obviously, there's been a lot of talk about backyard chickens in our in our area. Considering a lot of urban, more urban centers have looked at that direction. I think it's important to look at what other communities are doing and look at what our community thinks.”
Shrewsbury, Ont. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2022. (Chris Campbell
Meantime, staff have been asked to make a report on the topic that’s due back in May.
The previous council voted not to legalize backyard chickens in 2020.
“I do definitely understand people's concerns, but I think we got it a little wrong the last time,” Ceccacci explained, “We just sat around the council table and kind of made a decision. I think it's important to look at that community feedback, get what the people think and look at what our surrounding areas are doing and kind of go from there.”
Ceccacci noted the rising cost of food and demand for more sustainable living has increased interest across the municipality regarding backyard chickens.
“Talking to some councillors, I think that the appetite might be a little bit different this time through. But I think it's also important to go through the feedback and the process, because at the end of the day when you're changing bylaws, there could be costs associated with changing things and I think it's important we look at everything as a whole.”
The next municipal council meeting is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.