Saanich says the People, Pets and Parks draft strategy is a balanced approach – it absolutely is not!
The strategy takes away 84 per cent of current off-leash space from the 73 per cent of daily park users who are dog owners. That’s not balanced.
Saanich says parks need to welcome all citizens – I couldn’t agree more.
There are already three parks where people who don’t want to encounter dogs at all can walk. There absolutely needs to be places for people who don’t want to encounter off-leash dogs. We already have several of those.
There also absolutely needs to be parks with longer varied trails for people and their dogs who need more exercise than any enclosed park can provide. We only have three of those, and if this strategy goes ahead, we’ll lose all of them.
Saanich says we need to protect our natural spaces – we couldn’t agree more.
The proposed investments in better fencing and signage can accomplish this, without extreme restrictions.
Saanich is saying dogs are ‘still welcome’ – we don’t feel welcome. Giving 73 per cent of daily park users one beach, seven per cent of the trails in the biggest park in the district, and only 11 parks out of 171 (six per cent) that allow off-leash dogs is not welcoming.
Saanich is saying this bylaw would be easier to manage – we think that’s the wrong focus. When did ease of enforcement become bylaw development?
Saanich needs to retract and rethink the leashing recommendations in the People, Pets and Parks strategy.
Trish Fougner
Saanich
