BACKYARD BARNYARDS

When a person calls Calgary home, they understand that they live in a metropolitan city. In fact, Calgary is the fourth largest centre in Canada, so there shouldn’t be any surprise that livestock and other animals we associate with rural communities and farming are prohibited.

Such restrictions are commonplace when people live in proximity to one another and they reflect consideration for neighbours, as well as protect the public’s health.

City council voted unanimously Monday in favour of a motion brought forward by Coun. Jyoti Gondek asking administration to work with Alberta Health Services to figure out how to certify emotional support animals, which purportedly offer a form of treatment for those suffering from trauma and other afflictions.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of trauma that Calgarians are forced to wrestle with, and people address it in different ways. Indeed, distress is so commonplace that, arguably, most individuals could make a case for requiring special consideration: the loss of a spouse, parent, or child, unemployment or psychiatric disorder. There are very few Calgarians who have escaped such adversity.

Regulations are put in place for a reason, and to allow exceptions invites a free-for-all. Anyone who wants to keep a pig, monkey or miniature horse is going to argue its presence on their property is necessary for their wellbeing.

If people take comfort playing their stereo loud late at night, are we going to make exemptions for them? If they take comfort in seeing an uncleared sidewalk covered in snow, are we going to say there’s no harm in that?

Gondek was inspired to bring forward her motion by the quandary her constituent Nikki Pike finds herself in. She has three chickens — Noodle, Nibble and Nugget — that she says provide relief from debilitating anxiety and depression.

“She told her story about struggling with mental illness, and how the animals had brought her a form of treatment that she otherwise would not have contemplated,” Gondek said.

Frankly, if the city is going to allow comfort animals, perhaps it should look at the issue more broadly. Many people can make a case for keeping animals such as chickens on compassionate grounds, and if they’re going to be permitted on some lots, maybe it’s only fair they be allowed in every backyard, subject to strict conditions.

City council needs to consider the consequences of its decision. This isn’t just about Pike and her three chickens; it’s about changing the character of many backyards.