Sustainability: Is the Time Right for Lethbridge to Allow Urban Chickens? With Gilles Leclair & Kelti Baird

There are an increasing number of urban jurisdictions that are allowing egg-laying chickens/hens. Arguable, the reasons are clear - chickens provide protein, great fertilizer, pest control and are easy to maintain. But the bigger reason for keeping chickens may be for people to get more control of their food supply, just like growing vegetables etc.

Following the past few years of the Covid pandemic, we all know food security should not be taken for granted and urban planning to allow for small scale food production can help many people meet their basic needs. The speakers will argue that urban food production is sustainable and helpful for us to live in this world without depleting its resources.

Speakers:                    Gilles Leclair and Kelti Baird

Gilles is a founding member and past-president of the Lethbridge Sustainable Living Association. He created the Applefest (an event to promote local food sustainability) and was a long-time executive member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Lethbridge. Gilles has participated in Toastmasters and is a student of the books Small Is Beautiful: Economics as If People Really Mattered, Nonviolent Communication and A Pattern Language (urban design). He is a self-described Social Entrepreneur with a passion for re-creating urban spaces within a sustainable context.

Kelti is a 2012 graduate of the University of Lethbridge with a Bachelor’s Degree in History. Her particular focus was architectural history specializing in settlement architecture in Western Canada. She is the founding co-owner of Theoretically Brewing Company, here in the city, as well as an environmental enthusiast.

Kelti’s short time working for Environment Lethbridge, along with interactions with the Lethbridge Sustainable Living Association and Homestead Show & Market in Fort MacLeod, sprouted an interest in urban agriculture and environmentalism. In September 2018, Kelti introduced a request to City Council for an Urban Hen Pilot project, and is pursuing a change to Bylaw 3383 to allow for the same.