The People, Pets, and Parks Strategy that indicates more stringent dog leash guidelines was all gone by Saanich council Wednesday (June 28) night.
Many dog owners and Saanich citizens left the conference in shock after the choice was made.
“I have believed in the democratic process my whole life and for the first time I don’t have faith in it,” said Eulala Mills, an establishing member of Facebook Page Happy Dogs. “We’re shocked, as Coun. Plant said 90 per cent of the letters go against the strategy so we assume they would listen to their constituents. To get that overwhelming amount of letters and that voting against it is democratic, doesn’t feel like it to me.”
Coun. Colin Plant informed Black Press Media after the council conference that “now that a decision has been made, the residents of Saanich will respect their elected leaders made a decision. We don’t always agree with the decisions that our government makes, but as a country and as a region we tend to follow the law.”
The death of the method indicates Saanich will restrict the off-leash locations to one beach, 10 parks where dogs have where dogs can be off-leash, 12 fenced-in locations, 20 parks that have sports fields which will be closed to dogs lots of months of the year, and just a two-kilometre path loop at PKOLS.
“We’re disapointed at the lack of engagement with the stakeholders that are dog folks,” said Tamara Castle, a board member of the capital area of dog specialists. “People who are Saanich licenced dog holders were not engaged in the consultation process, dog professionals were not engaged in the consultation dispute having reached out.”
Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock was discouraged by the divide in Saanich, stating, “I regret the divisiveness this has created in our community. I’m hopeful that our council has created a pathway here that will allow us all to understand the impacts of what it’s going to mean for the availability of dogs to exercise off-leash.”
The initially strategy for the PPP method will be to update the signs in 2023, and extra fencing, upgrading laws and more is to come in 2024.
