Allowing urban hens would support the citizens of Cobourg to obtain affordable, healthy source of local, organic food in one’s own backyard, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and solid waste. Dozens of leading North American municipalities, including Guelph, Brampton, Niagara Falls, Victoria, Vancouver, and Burnaby allow backyard hens. In all cases, the rule-changes have resulted in very few, and sometimes zero, bylaw complaints. Chickens have existed in cities since the dawn of time, and they continue to thrive in communities around the world, both large and small, with dozens of cities across North America revising bylaws to allow them once again. The benefits of raising hens include: ·The production of affordable fresh, healthy and delicious home-grown eggs, free of pesticides and antibiotics; ·The reduction of municipal solid waste through the consumption of table scraps and other organic waste by chickens; ·The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from food distribution ·The production of rich garden fertilizer via chicken waste by-products, which is high in nitrogen, eliminating the need for petrochemical fertilizers; ·The reduction of backyard pest populations, through the consumption of bugs by backyard chickens; ·Educational opportunities – backyard chickens teach children where our food comes from and provide valuable opportunities for the demonstration of responsible pet ownership; ·The addition of great pets to neighbourhood families – chickens make great pets, as their behaviour is interesting and entertaining, They are people-friendly, quiet, and unaggressive. In recent years, many of us have begun to realize that maintaining a close connection to our food is a positive, rather than a negative choice, and is an important part of living a more agriculturally and ecologically sustainable lifestyle.Farmers markets have since experienced a massive revival, people are gardening more, and communities around the nation are changing decades-old laws forbidding the keeping of chickens We, the undersigned, citizens of the Town of Cobourg, urge Cobourg Town Council, to update the Zoning Code in order to permit the responsible keeping of backyard chickens.