The Great Urban Chicken Debate at the Supreme Court…
…of Nova Scotia.
My past and future colleague Trevor Smedley just lost his appeal to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia of his criminal conviction for having pet chickens. As the Supreme Court noted in Trevor J. Smedley and Her Majesty the Queen:
They are not just any chickens – they are special chickens. They are heritage chickens that are brought to this province from Quebec.
Indeed, the court agreed with Mr. Smedley that there was nothing wrong with the chickens:
The trial judge found that they are in every way inoffensive. There is no excessive or even noticeable noise, no odour. The way in which they are kept is not unsightly. The chickens remain on their property seemingly doing no harm to either the aesthetic qualities or the quiet enjoyment of the property of the immediate neighbours. So finds the trial judge.
As I haven’t seen much news about this case in the mainstream media, I’m posting a copy of the complete opinion here to shed public light on the matter. I know very little about Canadian chicken law, so I’m not sure whether further appeals are possible, but I hope Mr. Smedley can keep up the fight.