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In The News:
Petting farm wins goat waste debate
City backs down on demand that attraction cart manure across town
CAROLYN HEIMANTimes Colonist
cheiman@tc.canwest.com
In the end, the goats won the battle of Beacon Hill Park.
The city of Victoria has backed away from a plan that would force a petting farm in the park to truck its manure across town from the popular attraction.
David English, president of the Beacon Hill Farm Society, said the farm and the city reached a deal allowing the petting farm to deliver waste from its pens to the nearby parks yard.
“It’s good for the city, and it keeps our carbon footprint small,” said English.
“Now we will haul it to the [parks yard] gate. That’s far better than having it carted to Bay Street and using up all that fuel. It is valuable for the city [as compost] especially as the park is right there.”
In April, public outrage emerged after it was learned that the city put new terms into its lease with the petting zoo that required the farm to deal with its manure instead of simply dropping it off at the nearby parks works yard to be turned into compost. The debate exploded onto the Facebook network, where thousands of people expressed alarm that the inexpensive family destination would close as a result.
English said it was never the intention of the not-for-profit farm in Beacon Hill Park to close its doors. The change in city policy could have forced less-frequent pen cleaning for cost reasons; in turn that would require the goat pens being off limits to the public for health reasons.
The crisis prompted Ellice Recycling to offer to pick up the waste for free, a offer English said was most generous but still required the manure to be trucked quite a distance when there was a close-at-hand solution.
English said the city changed its policy after farm staff had a meeting late in May with Mayor Alan Lowe and several city staff members.
Lowe is out of town and unavailable for comment. |
The farm is located in Beacon Hill Park, close to downtown Victoria. You can get there by walking, bus, or car. Travel dow Douglas Street, close to Mile 0, and Dallas Road. Enter the park, by turning left, across from Simco Street (which is a one way so can not turn right), then turn left again to follow 
