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Written by Citizen staff
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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 |
A 1,200-name petition calling for formal designation of a off-leash dog parks was presented to city council on Monday night.
Speaking on behalf of those who signed, Annie Booth told council dogs are commonly off-leash at Ginter's Field and Moore's Meadow but they're mixed-use parks and conflicts are increasing.
She said the areas should be confirmed as "true dog parks in which the primary use is actually off-leash exercise."
"It's our feeling that it's impossible to keep the other user groups out but they should come in with the understanding that these are true dog parks and they will encounter off-leash dogs and should be prepared to respond accordingly," Booth added.
Supporters also want better services and safety features like gates, fencing, signs and more garbage containers and establishment of new dog parks elsewhere to meet the needs of the variety of owners and their dogs.
"For example, senior citizen dog owners are very attached to Williston Park because it's accessible, it's flat, it's easy for senior citizens to use and get their dogs exercised, but currently it's not an off-leash area, they are being ticketed by bylaw services," Booth said.
Council expressed some initial comments of support before referring the item to staff for comment, although Coun. Cameron Stolz warned that fenced areas come at a cost.
"The challenge from our perspective of the city is that we have no money to do that," he said. "We are quite strapped financially as we have discussed many times, so perhaps we do this in a partnership."
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 November 2009 )
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