Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw

Roaming cats are a menace. They kill birds at the feeder and deter new arrivals there; defecate in the garden and caterwaul all night.

Edmonton is unprepared to house all the "lost" cats that Animal Control receives. No fair that the cat problem must be endured.

Owners mandatory review and dignarture after review of care required for dogs, bylaws etc.many don't realize a dog must under control off l

Put a restriction on the amount of large dogs a person can have.

Two large dogs are already too many in a house. Especially when the owner doesn’t take them for a walk. The dog that attacked a little dog and killed it in Calgary about two weeks ago was part of a pack of three. These types of living arrangements creates a lot of stress for the animals and promotes aggression.

Need bylaws which help more urgent action when a dangerous dog is identified.Presently, we have to wait for serious consequences, repeatedly

Strong fines for not picking up dog poop. We have a new dog park in SE Edmonton and it’s disgusting. Our neighborhood is full of poop

Actually enforce the laws. 311 is a joke

Cats kill birds protect the birds

The city needs to revisit the cat bylaw to amend it to not allow free roaming of cats. I love watching birds and want the birds to be protected.

Mandatory spay neuter , more free chip clinics. Big fines for abandonment. Tougher cruelty punishments.

Implementing a roaming/feral cat capture program

Roaming/feral cats need to be treated like the ecologically destructive invasive species that they are. I have NO PROBLEM with outdoor cats if they are on a leash or harness, but the vast majority of people just let their cat roam the streets without any supervision. It's dangerous to the cat (exposure to diseases/pests, chance of being run over by cars or eaten by coyotes), dangerous to people (transmission of diseases), and dangerous to wildlife (roaming cats are directly responsible for the decline of many wild animal species). It should be treated like a form of animal abuse/neglect. I chase cats out of my yard whenever I see them but they are constant! It's not just one cat either, there's at least 5 of them that I see somewhat regularly. Right now the onus for roaming cat control in the city is on individual homeowners, which isn't practical. I'm at work most of the day so I can't set up a trap and keep it constantly monitored in a humane way, and I don't want to implement all these other controls like motion sensors or chicken wire because they will also negatively affect other wildlife that I want to have around. The city should be implementing trapping programs at a large scale, as this would actually be effective and make it easier for the city to keep track of repeat offenders, feral populations, and problem areas.

Indoor/outdoor cats.

I have 2 cats that can go in and out as they please. My neighbours have not complained and one has encouraged their companionship in her own yard. Both cats have been altered, have tattoos and are microchipped. Certainly their lives may be reduced due to the threats they may encounter. I consider myself an informed pet owner and will take the consequences as they may occur. I myself am happy with the cat bylaw as it is.

Enhancing Feline Welfare: A Call for Safer Communities

How can we make Edmonton an even better place for cats? What's going well: First off, kudos to all the responsible cat owners out there. You're doing a fantastic job keeping your kitties safe and sound indoors. What could be improved: Here are some ideas I've been tossing around: Make it easy for folks to spay/neuter their cats? Increase our subsidized Spay/Neuter Assistance Programs (SNAP) to make it easier on everyone's wallets. Microchips are a game-changer for reuniting lost cats with their owners. Make low-cost microchip clinics more accessible The city needs to work more closely with rescue groups that support feral cat colonies. Making their role official, supporting them as partners of by-law enforcement, not enemies. For those who need a gentle nudge about outdoor roaming cats, a warning and some info about responsible pet ownership might be helpful. If that doesn't work, fines for repeat offenders must be part of the enforcement framework.

Specific to my organization, I would request that Alvéole be added to the accepted list of beekeeping training certifiers.

We have a robust training program for our beekeepers and have already been accepted as certifiers in Calgary and other provinces. We would be happy to provide materials related to our training program and ongoing support network if requested.

If It's Not Broke, Don't Fix It

Generally speaking, the City of Edmonton's beekeeping program is going very well, as indicated by very few complaints to the City of the Province. I think that the application process is fair and relatively easy to navigate. Current rules ensure that beekeepers have proper training and are beekeeping responsibly. I would caution the City against loosening beekeeping licensing requirements. The Provincial apiculturist received more complaints from Calgary, and Montreal is experiencing a decline is native pollinators due to an overabundance of honeybee colonies.

A clear position on the role of educational beekeeping projects whose primary purpose is not honey production, but education.

Educational beekeeping projects are not strictly “commercial” as the current Bylaw classifies them, and are not residential either, instead using 1 bee hive to inspire hundreds of people. Educational beekeeping projects are small-scale, managed by professionally trained beekeepers, and offer myriad benefits to the citizens of the City of Edmonton by raising awareness about our food systems, and the importance of insects, pollinators, and native plants for the function of our ecosystems. I believe that urban beekeepers should be advocates for these issues and furthermore, that educational projects should be allowed under the Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw as a new category distinct from “commercial” and “residential”. Indeed, based on the feedback I heard at the hearing on September 14th, 2023, it seems like some Edmonton beekeepers are obtaining permits for their educational projects (despite those projects not being strictly "residential"), while others like my own are denied permits for doing the same work. Having sought clarity on this issue in the past and attempting to register all of my hives with the City of Edmonton, only to be told those hives were in violation of the Bylaw and would have to be removed, this a scenario I would like to avoid moving forward! Ultimately, there are multiple educational beekeeping projects already present in the City of Edmonton, and the permitting rules should be equally applied to all of us.

Require "For-Profit" Beekeeping activities to hols a Business License with the City of Edmonton.

If a beekeeper or beekeeping organization charges for their services, equipment, education, or hive products (wax, honey, etc.), they should be required to hold an active business license with the City of Edmonton. It would be worth determining if the City should require businesses to have liability insurance.

A simplified permitting process, especially as it relates to registering multiple sites, using Calgary’s recent by-law changes as an example

Currently, the City of Edmonton requires hives to only be located in the rear yard of a property, at least 25 metres away from any public place, including but not limited to playgrounds, sports fields, churches or schools. Hive entrances must be directed away from adjacent residential properties, and hives should be located at least three metres from all property lines where there is an adjacent neighbour, unless the property is separated from the adjacent neighbour by a solid fence or vegetative hedge at least 1.5 metres high. These guidelines might be reasonable, if restrictive, requirements for hives installed on the ground, but they do not seem appropriate for rooftop installations and other low-traffic sites. I would recommend that Calgary’s bylaw requirement of a site plan for each apiary be adopted instead, or that more lenient requirements be established for rooftop and low-traffic areas. Reasonable restrictions create scenarios where beekeepers are more likely to register their hives, and can also easily access proper resources and mentorship to ensure those hives stay healthy. Furthermore, I believe the current neighbour notification letter requirements should not be enforced for rooftop hives and low-traffic sites. Instead, more emphasis should be put on proper hive placement. For reference, Vancouver’s guidelines are excellent.

Roosters should be allowed

Roosters should be allowed as long as they are not causing noise concerns. If you make it reportable like barking dogs with a requirement that the person gets rid of their rooster if it causes enough problems. There are many dogs that are way more disruptive with their barking than a rooster would be!

Things working well

Things that have worked well: -ample outdoor run area (coop design) and ventilation -covered enclosure during HPAI -educational course requirements are appropriate and useful -predator resistant run recommended in course -our neighbours seem to enjoy the eggs and have not expressed concern throughout our 3 years with hens in a very densely populated suburban neighbourhood

House Chickens

Instead of having a whole flock outside in heated coops and stuff you should be able to keep up to 2 chickens as housepets like a dog or cat.

Reduce 6' fencing requirement.

Replacing or upgrading fences could be extraordinarily expensive or not possible with non-compliant neighbors. Many chickens could also hop a 6' fence no problem anyway. Emphasis should be on security of existing fencing & enclosure rather than a strict rule for 6' fencing.

Waste disposal

I end up with too much waste bedding in the winter for the small green bins and every second week pickup. I really wish we could apply for a larger green bin, something similar to the black bins. It’s really difficult to take manure to the disposal centres in my car when excess builds up.

Bunnies aren’t the issue here…

As a responsible rabbit parent, I have not had any issues with anyone with my bunny and as far as I can tell, bunnies are not the issue here. The only problems are when people abandon bunnies in parks, green spaces or cemeteries and then they become a problem. Fines should be raised for people who abandon their pets in public spaces.

keep as is

rabbits are not an issue keep things running the same as is

Limit the Number of Rabbits a Household can have

There are so many unwanted and abandoned rabbits. The city of Edmonton should limit the number of rabbits a household can have. Also all rabbits should be spayed or neutered. I volunteer with several animal rescues and we are overrun with rabbits (not to mention other animals), but at least with dogs or cats there is a limit a household can have.

Rotating animals

It would be nice to have the ability to see sheep/ goats around the city eating the grass, weeds instead of seeing mechanical equipment clearing/ tiding up. Would also like to see them help out other development locations and not just in the parkland.

Exotic law changes.

I'm wondering if the Wildlife Act will be looked at when making new laws regarding exotics and other animals. As the provincial government controls a lot of species people can't own. Examples are venomous, alligators, hyenas, large cats, elephants list goes on. The act is very comprehensive for what the public can't own without a permit. Permits are not easy to obtain as you have to be a zoo or accredited education facility. These laws are enforced by fish and wildlife. So resources for controlling these animals are already in place. On top of that. Any illegal animals brought in from another province would fall under federal legislation as well. A lot of by-laws are not made with well-researched information. A lot of the time the provincial legislation is missed, stakeholders are not always involved in certain sectors, and organizations are not involved. We all care about animal welfare. Let's make sure it's fair for the animals that are legal in the province. Looking forward to seeing how the new potential laws are developed with input from the public and stakeholders in the city.

Given the large number of coyotes in the neighborhood, it has been recommended that we get a donkey or other ruminant - why not?

Apparently coyotes are deterred by the presence of donkeys, although they don't seem to pay any attention to loud and wildly gesticulating humans.

No exotic pets - birds, reptiles, amphibians, degus (which is a rat) - Anything listed on CITIES should not be allowed

No breeder bred exotic pets. Any species that is listed on CITIES I or II should NOT be allowed as a pet. Canada is part of the convention but we don't follow the rules. There are hundreds of unwanted exotics in Edmonton and AB. There are not enough rescues to house all these unwanted pets. Pet stores should no longer be allowed to sell breeder bred species of birds, reptiles, dogs, cats, rabbits. Parrots can live to be 50 or 80 years old. They are not a truly domesticated animal like a dog or cat. They are not meant to be in a cage. Have a grandfather clause for people that currently own the exotic but they have to be licensed (like a dog or cat). Also limit the number a household can have. Look what happened to all those poor exotics in that housefire a couple years ago. Hundreds of reptiles died. That person should not have been allowed to have so many species in a house. If the city of Edmonton continues to let people breed exotics then they need to be licensed and the breeding facility should be reviewed yearly to make sure the animals/reptiles/birds are properly cared for. BUT truly any species listed on CITIES should not be allowed as a pet (grandfathered in only). Some countries in EUROPE use an approved pet list...this makes sense. Only animals/reptiles/birds listed would be allowed as pets and all pets must be spayed or neutered, microchipped and licensed. Most people have no idea what some of the exotics are and whether they are an endangered species or not.

Livestock in the city

What exactly is the problem with allowing people to keep a reasonable number of livestock on their property if they are well kept?