Most councillors not interested in research

RE: BACKYARD CHICKENS

I have been following the story of the acceptance of urban backyard hens in municipalities surrounding Hamilton for the last year or so, and was hoping that Hamilton would follow suit for various reasons, from food security to the recognition and celebration of Ontario’s agricultural heritage.

Coun. Jason Farr brought motions forward that would see staff update a 2012 report to see if Hamilton should follow the example of other Ontario municipalities.

I watched the April 11 debate through livestream, not something I normally do, and I was surprised at how dismissive many of the councillors were, basing their arguments on incomplete information.

Remember, the motion was to authorize the city to do a report ... not to allow for these backyard hens.

Apparently, most councillors don’t feel they need to research issues brought forward. Instead, they base their decisions on incomplete information and, apparently, a fear that packs of coyotes will descend on the city ... too many Saturday morning cartoons?

The chicken debate, which was based on achieving a better understanding of an issue, demonstrated who cares about being informed. Councillors Farr, Green, Merulla, Vanderbeek and Johnson voted for learning more. The rest voted to go with their own preconceptions. On how many other issues is this the case?

Beau Daniels, Hamilton