“You belong here” is a motto that all of Saanich parks, recreation and community services representatives follow in their daily planning, coordinating, thinking and approach to public service for the community.
When I think about the statement, “You belong here,” it represents an inclusive approach to everyone in our community. It implies that “we” the community members of Saanich and users of parks, trails, facilities and programs belong in all spaces and places and should be afforded every opportunity to feel as though we belong. When decisions are made based on the one per cent of people who persistently complain about a specific issue, we leave 99 per cent of the rest of the community without a voice that is truly heard.
The decision to eliminate off-leash areas of our local parks, trails and beaches should be looked at fairly and with multiple lenses. I’d like to see the information reflected from the dog professionals you spoke with during this process. By not publishing the information recommended by professionals, you’ve completely compromised the integrity of this proposal.
Anyone who works with dogs, or is educated about dog behaviour knows that bringing your dog to an enclosed space with other dogs is one of the most unpredictable scenarios you can place your dog in.
When you eliminate the ability for dogs to roam freely in parks, trails and beaches you are drastically negatively impacting the lives of the community members who use the parks daily. You don’t have to look far to see the correlation between dogs and the health impact they have on one’s life. Ask any medical professional, fresh air and exercise are two of the best ways to improve health. Dogs push people to get out and move. The joy owners have from watching their dog run, play and engage with them on a hike or at the beach is some of the best medicine there is.
If Saanich truly believes in the “you belong here” motto then they would be finding more intentional ways to allow everyone’s voices to be heard in a quantifiable way.
The current system is not broken. You don’t need to fix it. Facts above all else are what you need to pay attention to. Please look at the truth, because at the moment, the proposal reflects the most inaccurate, unsafe outcome for our community of dog owners.
Eric Ball
Saanich
