City dog park review a good start but not enough, owners say

There's a 'really big need' for more off-leash areas, says group representing dog owners

Cbc.ca
March 3, 2020
Michael Smee

Some dog owners say the city is barking up the wrong tree with its review of conditions at off-leash areas.

That review has been ongoing since last year. Several public consultation sessions have been held and a final report is due by the end of the year.

But Eric Code, founder of the group Toronto Dog Park Community, says that while his members appreciate what the city is doing, it is missing out on the most pressing issue facing dog owners: the need for more, not just better, off-leash areas.

"There are entire wards that don't have dog parks at this time," Code told CBC Toronto.

"And also with all the new high- density communities that are being built, of course there's a really big need for more."

But a spokesperson for the city's parks and recreation department, Raymond Thomson, said the review was aimed at cataloguing, and ultimately improving, the amenities at existing off-leash areas.

Even so, he said the current review will not be the last word on the subject.

"[It's] important to recognize this isn't the final, be-all-and-end-all, in terms of our off-leash areas and we're going to be using what we collect now for future decisions,' he said. "We're always open to feedback and advice."

According to the city's website, there are currently about 230,000 dogs in Toronto and 69 off-leash areas. Code contrasted that number to Calgary's, where he said there are about 150 off-leash dog parks.

The study was launched last spring, according to the city's website, "to find out how the city's existing Dogs Off-Leash Areas (OLAs) can be improved to accommodate an increasing human and dog population."

As part of the study, the city ran online surveys and organized public consultations -- known as "pup-ups" -- at 10 off-leash areas. The last of the consultations is scheduled to be held at the end of March, when a draft plan will be presented. Thomson said a final report will come out by the end of 2020.

"We're looking at maintenance improvements, so that could be anything from fencing to lighting to shade structures to accessibility ... things like that," Thomson said. "We're hearing from dog owners and residents and really anyone who's interested in off-leash areas throughout the city."

Code and other dog owners contacted by CBC Toronto praised the city's initiative. But some suggested it should have gone further.

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Diana Cotaras, who walks her dog Cooper at Cedarvale Park, said she'd like to see as many off-leash areas for dogs as there are playgrounds for children.

"I'd like to see a separate area that's fenced in for smaller dogs, where our dogs can run around and play without feeling like they're going to get trampled by bigger dogs," she said. "Cedarvale has a ton of space available."

As for the cost of new off-leash parks -- pegged by Code at $200,000 to $500,000 -- Cotaras said dog owners deserve consideration.

"I pay taxes," she said. "Why can't some of my taxes be used toward something that I would use personally?"

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Code said his members are becoming impatient at the lack of space for their dogs to run.

"Dog owners along the waterfront are extremely frustrated," he said.

"There's two parks being built right now. There was an opportunity for an off-leash area in them and that fell off the table," he said.