The ongoing off-leash area review process
Owing to the large response from dog-owners during the June 2008 meeting, the City initiated their own review process for the off-leash area, including members from the High Park Community Advisory councils, the K9 committee and local concerned park users. The review group, which includes City staff and is run by the local parks manager have been meeting every couple of months to discuss the off-leash areas and improvements/changes to make it more sustainable. Members of the review group are open to discuss the meeting with the public and we encourage any interested parties to contact the K9 committee with their comments and suggestion. Please check back on this site for more updates on the review process and any proposed changes to the off-leash area.
A history of the review process
June 2008 City Meeting
The City's old proposal (June 4th, 2008)
The City held a public consultation in June of 2008 on the off-leash
area, during which time the introduced a proposal that included major
restrictions to Dog Hill and closure of several trails behind the Allotment
garden. The meeting was well attended by dog-owners, many of whom objected
to the lack of consultation along with the lack of evidence to support the
proposed changes. During the June 4th meeting, the City verbally promised to
further consult with local community before proceeding with planned changes to
the off-leash area.
to contact us (k9@highpark.org) for
additional information and ideas on how you can help.
May 2008 High Park Community Advisory Council Meeting
The HPCAC proposals (May 28th, 2008)
The High Park Community Advisory Council initiated a review of the off-leash area through an off-leash review committee (see below for description). At the May meeting, the council was presented with three proposal, each involving changes to the off-leash area. Following heated debate and the introduction of a fourth proposal to delay changes until sufficient evidence was gathered the council voted on and brought forward two proposals to give to the City. The proposals and votes are listed to the left.
Proposal #1: 11 votes Proposal #4: 8 votes
Background information
The off-leash review committee (OLRC) consists of a member from K9, a member from Natural Environment committee and a general member of the HPCAC. The OLRC was convened to assess the off-leash area within High Park in terms of:
1. The impact of the off-leash area on park users, the
natural environment, park programs and surrounding community
2. The effectiveness and appropriateness of existing regulations
3. The general direction of the program in relation to the master plan of
High Park
and to provide direction and recommendations to the HPCAC to help enhance and integrate the off-leash area with the rest of High Park.
Click here to view the OLRC mandate
The off-leash review committee conducted a survey during the summer of 2007 into dogs and High Park. The survey results are divided into summary, raw results for all park users, results for just dog-owners and results for other park users.
Click here to view survey results - Summary
Click here to view survey results - Raw data
Click here to view survey results - Dog-owners
Click here to view survey results - Other park users
The off-leash review committee also polled park stakeholders about the impact of dogs on their activities.
Click here to view impact statements from stakeholders
The off-leash area was also assessed by the City