Gravenhurst reviewing whether chickens should be allowed on urban properties

A family has been told to remove their chickens while the issue is being reviewed

Gravenhurst Council agreed to consider allowing backyard chickens on urban properties during the September 15, 2026, meeting.

Council approved a motion directing staff to provide the request to the Town's Official Plan consultants for consideration as part of an update to the Comprehensive Zoning By-law following the formal Official Plan review.

The issue arose following a deputation from Jesse and Nicole Wilson, who keep five hens at their urban Gravenhurst property and are facing a complaint under the Town's existing zoning regulations.

Staff confirmed the current zoning does not permit chickens in urban residential zones, explaining that appropriate zoning is required to allow agricultural uses.

Jesse Wilson outlined several benefits the hens provide his family, including eggs at a time of rising food costs, reducing household food waste, and providing their children with pets and an opportunity to learn responsibility. He also compared the relatively low cost of keeping hens with the cost of other activities available to families in the Town.

Wilson said several neighbours support the family, with some saying they had not known chickens were being kept on the property, including the adult son who lives with the resident that complained about them. Upon discussions with the son, Wilson said the son didn’t believe his mother’s complaints were “factual” and that he supported the family having the hens and provided a “letter of support.”

Wilson also pointed to other Ontario municipalities that permit backyard hens and suggested Gravenhurst could consider licensing them similarly to dogs as a means of generating additional revenue for the Town.

During Council’s discussion about the matter, Councillor, Erin Strength, said, “We have rules for the urban core, we have rules for the rural area… I don’t want to live beside chickens.”

Councillor, Penny Varney, who put for the motion forward requesting the issue be considered in the review, responded, “I don’t want to live with someone that’s got three dogs.” She said they have helped families that have come forward before.

While Council agreed to have the broader issue considered through its planning review, that does not immediately resolve the Wilsons' situation.

Staff advised that a site-specific zoning by-law amendment could be pursued at a cost of approximately $4,400, and the process could take several months, and the family would be required to follow the bylaw in the meantime and remove the hens.

Council also discussed whether the family could be permitted to keep the hens while the broader issue is being considered, which they did not support.

Mayor Heidi Lorenz stressed the importance of public input before changing the rules, saying, "It's not responsible for us to try and write a chicken by-law without any community engagement and public consultation."

Council also denied a request made by Councillor Jo Morphy to waive the fee and Varney’s request to reduce the Wilsons' $4,400 zoning amendment application fee to $1,000, with concerns raised about shifting the cost of processing an individual application to taxpayers and setting a precedent for similar requests.

For now, the existing zoning regulations remain in place while the broader question of permitting backyard chickens in urban Gravenhurst moves into the Town's planning review.