Opinion

I write to oppose the proposed People, Pets, and Parks strategy. My main opposition is to the amount of public funds proposed to be spent on this project, as well as to the restrictive nature of the bylaw, which does not address the main threats to natural areas in Saanich parks (invasive species, braiding of trails by people (not just dogs) and the need for more concerted efforts in ecosystem restoration. Following are some alternative ways in which this $5-7 million could be spent.

We’re writing to express our concern about the proposed regulations that would restrict/eliminate off-leash dog walking in Saanich parks and beaches. In the People, Pets and Parks draft report, the vision statement is that “Saanich parks are safe, accessible, and enjoyable for all park users and provide a variety of experiences that balance the different needs of people and pets while protecting environmental integrity and promoting stewardship.”

‘Immigration is crucial to support the nearly one million job openings we’re expecting in B.C.’

Saanich’s People, Pets and Parks program is a full-frontal attack on pets and their owner families in Saanich parks – specifically dogs and dog families.

It was painful (but not surprising) to read all of the letters in the June 21st issue on the People, Pets and Parks project.

This letter is in opposition to the proposed draconian dog leash laws for Saanich parks. As it stands now, Saanich allows dogs to be off-leash while with owners in numerous parks and on some beaches. There is a proposal that these off-leash areas be drastically reduced and confined to a very limited space for dogs and their owners.

The June 13 Zoom meeting for public input on Saanich’s strategic OCP update showed a disturbing lack of democracy.

The news is filled with stories on rising costs, and the Bank of Canada could potentially raise interest rates in July to slow inflation. With these uncompromising rate hikes, we are still seeing high prices for food forecasted to go up again. I had hoped our local growers would offer some relief for families but their prices have risen along with the grocery chains.

Saanich issued a statement framing the feedback they received about plans to limit off-leash dog areas in parks as misinformation or myths. Taking this approach discounts the value of the public’s feedback. The myths they describe are self-serving, arbitrary and misrepresent the intentions of the public’s comments.

I agree with Mr. Trudell’s suggestion regarding adapting military helicopters to fight forest fires. Unfortunately, our armed forces are in such a sorry state of neglect that out of 25 nations participating in a two-week-long “Air Defender” exercise in Germany, the largest deployment exercise in NATO’S history, including little countries like Bulgaria, Latvia and even two non-NATO nations Japan and Sweden, Canada is embarrassingly absent.