Too much going on down at the farm, CBS council decides

By Craig Westcott

It might be a case of two chickens too many, or more commercial activity than promised when in fact it’s a matter of both that led CBS council to revoke the permits for a hobby farm and home business at a property on the main road in Foxtrap.
In making the motion to pull the permits, councillor-at-large Rex Hillier noted the number of animals at the hobby farm exceeds what was approved by the Town, and that the home office has turned out to be busier than what was approved as well.
The history of the Town’s interactions with the property owner dates back to 2019 when approval was given for a 12′ x 16′ accessory building. After an inspector paid a couple of visits less than a year later, a stop work order was issued on the shed because of “unpermitted placement of fill,” and a second ordered issued to remove a sea can. That’s a large shipping container the size of a trailer pulled by transport trucks. Six months later, the Town issued another permit, this one for a 35′ x 25′ accessory building. It was nearly a year after that, on October 29, 2021, that council received applications to operate the hobby farm and home-based business.
Council approved the home office on November 17, 2021 and the hobby farm in February 2022. The permit for the hobby farm restricted the operation to nine chickens and one cow. When the owner applied to expand the farm last year, council deferred its decision pending the applicant cleaning up the site and removing some non-permitted buildings. Council eventually decided to refuse the expansion.
This past October, Town employees visited the site again and found 12 chickens, one pony and two goats. The Town had also received complaints about roaming chickens on the property.
The home business also proved problematic, according to a briefing note prepared for council. The permit for the business specified that there be no autobody, off-road vehicle or heavy equipment repairs undertaken at the premises, nor any salvage work, painting, detailing, or sales. The permit also specified that only an occupant of the property could work on site with no other employees allowed.
When an inspector showed up this past October, he reported finding multiple construction vehicles onsite, including a backhoe and skid steer, a metal dumpster, a bulk fuel tank with a dispensing nozzle, and approximately 10 vehicles, along with piles of rims and tires.
Staff noted that a fence that the property owner had been approved to build back in May 2024 was electrified and a safety hazard.
“This resident had a permit for a hobby farm and a home-based business, and it has exceeded what was permitted in both cases,” said Hillier. “I have spoken with neighbours in the area who have concerns and we’re going to revoke both those permits.”
Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley supported Hillier’s motion. “We try to work with residents on whatever type of application they want for their personal properties,” he noted. “But sometimes when you give people an inch, they take a mile, and in this case this is exactly what they did. So, we have to do some type of enforcement for this particular property.”
The motion to revoke the permits passed unanimously.