Pigeons stay, horse must go, council rules

By Rick Vanderlinde Simcoe.com Nov 19, 2010
INNISFIL – The pigeons can stay, but the miniature horse must go.
Faced with two requests for exemptions to the town’s animal control bylaw, Innisfil council gave the nod to one resident while it turned down another.
Jan Mas will be allowed to keep racing pigeons at his Leslie Street home in a typical Alcona subdivsion. But Elizabeth Tyrrell, who lives on St. John’s Road near the 7th line, must find other accommodations for her 41-inch tall horse.
Mas has support from about 18 neighbours who signed a petition saying the pigeons are not a nuisance to the neighbourhood and should be allowed to stay. Town staff agreed and so did all but one council member.
But two of Mas’ neighbours complained about the pigeons. Michael Hanson, a next-door neighbour, attended Wednesday’s council meeting to oppose the bylaw exemption.
“We are not talking about a few pigeons, we are talking about quite a few,” Hanson told council. “They fly over our houses, they make noise, they smell, and they leave their droppings everywhere.”
Hanson said he has lost two trees because of the contaminated water that flows onto his property when the chicken coup is cleaned.
“Residents who got an exemption in the past were in a different geographic location,” he said. “There are 36 houses within 300 metres of this pigeon coup. This is going to affect the property values.”
Another neighbour who wrote to council said, “My neighbours and I are fed up with the resident in question, who since he moved in a few months ago has allowed his pigeons to land on our properties. The pigeons continue to do their business anywhere they wish.”
Council approved the pigeon exemption with a lengthy list of provisions that must be followed. They include making sure the pigeons are not allowed to perch or linger on neighbouring homes and properties. As well the owner must remain as member of good standing with an organized pigeon racing club. He is one of 14 registered pigeon racers in Innisfil.
Meanwhile, Tyrrell’s plea to keep her miniature horse on a residential property was rejected by town staff and council.
Staff feared allowing the horse to stay “would create a slippery slope” that would lead to more farm animals being kept in residential areas.
In a letter to council, Tyrrell said her horse, Romeo, cannot stay in a typical barn setting because he is allergic to hay.
The town learned of the horse after it received a call from a Humane Society officer. A neighbour had complained that Tyrrell was not taking care of the horse properly.
But according to Tyrrell, the Humane Society agreed the horse was in good condition.
In her letter, Tyrrell said her property is only steps away from a rural area where she would be allowed to keep the horse.
The town has given her 60 days to relocate the horse or face fines under the animal control bylaw.