Taber amends bylaw to allow school bees

By Kenyon Stronski - SOUTHERN ALBERTA NEWSPAPERS on January 13, 2022.

Taber town council has come to an agreement on their Exotic and Wild Animal Bylaw.

At a previous meeting of council, the Exotic and Wild Animal Bylaw 23-2 was asked to be amended by St. Mary’s School so they could construct micro apiaries to be available for education. This amendment, however, never got past second reading as there were various questions about the towns liability if something were to happen – and if they would be a liability risk for the town.

Administration reached out to Taber’s insurance provider for recommendations, who noted there was nothing in the bylaw or general liability insurance that would exclude any kind of coverage, and there would be no negligence on behalf of Taber.

Separate legal representation also said that, “It is difficult to see a basis in which the town could be liable for apiculture activities under the proposed bylaw. The liability risk is clearly transferred to the institution.”

“These have all been clarified through the town’s insurance provider and liability lies with the institution and not the Town of Taber,” said Kerry Van Ham, administrative services manager. “Section 7.7 has also been added to the bylaw to clarify enforcement, and no other recommendations were made.”

Coun. Alf Rudd thanked administration for the research into the topic, and a motion was subsequently passed to amend the bylaw.