Kootenays

Maybe the Province read my article on the crumbling infrastructure around this province?

$272 Million Invested in Smaller British Columbia Communities: Applications Open for Building Canada's Communities Component

For the first time, smaller British Columbia communities with populations of less than 100,000 can now access more funding for cleaner water, better waste management and flood mitigation thanks to a $272 million investment by the federal and provincial governments through the Building Canada Plan.  read more »

"Maybe they just don't like goats?"

This was our first impression following the last council meeting, it seems that some of the elected representatives of the City of Castlegar have a different perspective on food security and sustainability than many people in this City and region.  When presented with an opportunity to review the current animal control and zoning bylaws to permit small-scale "urban agriculture", as is permitted in cities such as Seattle, it seems our Council, rather than having a rational discussion, opted instead to poke fun at the suggestion that urban hens and miniature goats may be a step closer to a sustainable Castlegar.  read more »

We received our Crop Share Certificate from the Creston Grain CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) today. As you can see from the image above, we hold share number 79 (which was out of a possible 200 for the 2008 season).  read more »

I scrapped three draft posts today, they were written from frustration and should never be published.

However, we did have a great weekend enjoying some of the best of nature that the Kootenays could throw at us – a hike and potluck dinner up Deer Park Hill in Rossland, and a picnic and freezing swim at Sandspit on Kootenay Lake and lots of thunderstorms.

I’ll admit it. I like meat.

I could eat meat 3 meals a day seven days a week. Whether it’s lamb kebabs, sizzling bacon, buffalo sausages, or a juicy steak – its all good to me.

The downside to enjoying meat is the environmental footprint of the choice. And that’s one of the reasons why our family just doesn’t eat that much meat.

The Local Story

In this part of the world, the Kootenays, the ecological footprint of meat is probably higher than a lot of other places as there is no licensed facility to kill and butcher the animals within several hundred kilometres. Even animals that are raised just up the road have to be trucked to a distant facility and back to be sold commercially.  read more »

I've finally finished writing a letter to Castlegar City Council, requesting an amendment to the Animal Control Bylaw and Zoning Bylaw to allow Goats and Chickens in Urban Areas.

To sum up the recommendations in the letter, I wrote...

It is my suggestion that council amend the Zoning and Animal Control Bylaws to permit the following:

1. Hens to be permitted in residential zoned lands as pets and for local food production

2. Miniature goats to be permitted as pets and local food production in residential areas, and subject to similar rules and regulations as dogs in reference to licensing and the use of fences and leashes as appropriate.

3. Agriculture to be further defined to permit hens and miniature goats in residential zones as pets and for local food production.

This should come up at the next regular meeting of council and if it is deemed to have some merit would likely go to a planning and development committee meeting.

You can download the pdf of the letter at the bottom of this post.

I'd also like to thank Mammacomic for the inspiration and template of a letter that she's written to the City of Calgary.