A woman fighting to keep three emotional support animals in the city of Calgary will be watching council closely Monday.
Following a Global News series, the city committed to re-examining the bylaw late last year.
Click here to watch the original three-part series
Ward 3 Councillor Jyoti Gondek will present a notice of motion to amend the current bylaw to allow for non-traditional emotional support animals within the city limits.
Chickens are not currently allowed in the city and owning them goes against the responsible pet ownership bylaw because the animals are considered livestock.
There is currently no mechanism to apply for or be granted an exemption.
If council approves the motion, that would change.
“This notice of motion is about the well-being of Calgarians,” Gondek told Global News Friday. “It’s about addressing the various ways that mental illness can and should be managed, depending on the treatment program devised between a patient and her physician.”
Pike’s three chickens are doctor-prescribed emotional support animals used to help treat her severe anxiety and depression.
In December, someone complained to bylaw and she was told she couldn’t keep the birds.
“When our bylaws stand in the way of medical treatments that are rooted in evidence-based results, it’s time to revisit those bylaws.”
Gondek is suggesting the city work with Alberta Health Services on the issue.
Pike is elated to hear the work Gondek has put into the motion and hopes other councillors will agree with the proposed changes.
“If what’s helping you is stripped away, people can regress into these horrible places and I just can’t even imagine,” Pike said. “My family, they need me here and functioning and this helps me do that…so I do really hope council can see how important it is. It’s vital.”
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