Cornwall ON- Well it looks like Dogs, or in particular the ability for pet owners to walk their dogs in city parks is becoming a municipal election issue.
Cornwall City Councilors Bernadette Clement and Glen Grant are championing a test project to allow leashed access to dogs in Lamoureux Park, Cornwall’s signature park and location of events from Winterfest to Lift-Off to Waterfest.
The attempt by a group to launch a dog park so far has failed, and a private company plans to run a fee based dog park in the north end of the city.
In the meanwhile much debate continues as many dog owners are upset that their license fees don’t necessarily get them any service. My question is are dog owners willing to see their license fees go up to pay for any extra costs to the city for the cost of a dog park?
I like the idea of having leashed access to parks; however I think it’s a huge mistake for Lamoureux park to be the “test” site.
The costs of bylaw enforcement and the possible impact to the site for me suggests that the destination and show place of Cornwall should not have that sort of risk. Let’s use a few other city parks where the impact of possible maintenance and safety issues would not be as potentially visible first.
We live in an age it seems of consolidation. Instead of neighborhood ice rinks we build them all in one spot. Pet owners don’t necessarily want to travel with their dogs to a park when there are local options close to the house.
So let’s try this, but let’s pick three or four area parks in Cornwall, and see how it plays out instead of using our showcase to the world.
Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News
(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of the Cornwall Free News, their staff, or sponsors.)
I agree with you that Lamoureux Park may not be the best site for a dog park. There are others more suitable! You talk about dog licence fee’s going up to pay for services. What about cats? They roam all over the city, unleashed, doing their business on other peoples land, never their owners. When will we start to licence the thousands of cats in the City of Cornwall. Now theres another election issue!
As I said before use the power dam area. It already exists as a dag park of sorts. Yes both young and old have access.
The following statement does not apply to all users of that area. If we dol ook at the condition of the power dam you will see it is primarily a pig sty. If this is any indication of what the dog parks will look like then maybe council should scrap the whole idea. Atleast until people maintain what they have.
This is a consideraton that needs to be addressed as all people will use the park both caring and not.
What are the dog license fees used for anyway? If 1 of every 4 people has a dog and they each pay fees, I’m certain the fees would cover a leash free park and there still would be many dollars left for other things.
I think Lamouroux Park is the perfect spot for this trial. It is a beautiful green space by the water that everyone in the city should be able to enjoy. I personally walk my dogs through there a couple times a week (very early in the AM to avoid by-law officers) and both my pooches love it, as do I. I walk my dogs for a minimum of 1 hour per day, and trudging along the city streets and side walks can prove to very mundane and boring.
I don’t see the poop issue to be as big a deal as some make it out to be. The majority of dog owners, I’m sure you will find, are more than willing to deal with their dogs dookie. That being said, I am also certain that some dog owners don’t/won’t. As far as that goes, we already pay people to clean up our parks since the humans who use them also seem incapable of finding trash receptacles for their refuse. So we give them a scooper to pick up the occasional mess and they can stuff it in their garbage bag with everything else they have to pick up.
As far as increased dog tag fees go, I don’t buy that either. I already pay plenty of taxes to support parks I don’t use, swimming pools I don’t swim in, splash pads I don’t splash on, hockey rinks I don’t skate on, and so on. But I don’t complain since this is part of living in a community.
I say we open up ALL parks to dogs on leashes. I say we get a real fenced in, off- leash dog park. I say that there are enough tax paying citizens in this town who own dogs, and already pay a fee which benefits them in no discernible way.
PS…the notion of using the Powerdam is silly. Try going there in the dark of night, or an early winter morning. It is unsafe to be there alone at such times, and since I have a job thet requires long hours I frequently walk my dogs in the park. It also interferes with the bike path, has zero fencing, and is difficult for a large portion of our population to access.
For those who are interested I have started a Facebook page trying to gain the interest of our potential candidates as we approach this election. Just search “Urge Cornwall Politicians for an off-leash dog park” and sign up…the more the merrier. My dogs (Kevan and Gertrude) thank you in advace.
Jamie is that the best dog picture you can come out with.We no what side of the fence your on. ha ha
There are no bad dog pictures 🙂 They’re all wonderful! All kidding aside I think we need a full fledged dog park, but it should be a city run one. I have no problem with the fee based one being done and it sounds like a great project, but I think we can handle two in the city.
Dog parks don’t have to be big. Compare them say to having splash pads (pardon the pun) instead of full fledged pools. People just need some nice spots to let their poochies burn off some steam and hang with their friends.
Dogs should most definitely be allowed in our parks. They enjoy the outdoors just as much as humans do, and not everyone has a huge backyard for them to play in. Yes there are problems with the feces, but there are people assigned to pick up litter, so why not fecal matter? People need jobs…it’s not glamourous work, but it pays the bills. The other option is community service for non-violent offenders…nothing says ‘you did wrong’ like having to pick up **** all day!
Hello Rodney,
I do not belong to face book nor do I wish to join. I do not pay property taxes in Cornwall (I do in South Glengarry) however my husband and I collectively spend as tidy sum of money in Cornwall for products and services. I would be happy to lend my name in support of this project. Kindly add my name to your “Urge Cornwall Politicians for an off-leash dog park” list.
I find it ridiculous how council hasn’t solved this problem yet.. for shame!…
I think dogs in this park is a big mistake..To many owners don’t clean after there dogs,our children can run free in the park and play without worry about running into dog poop or worst a cross dog. How many children over the years have been mauled by a dog.I know not all dogs are cross and they will be on a leash …But look now it says no dog in the park YET on Canada I seen dogs and on other days to..I do agree there should be a park for dogs somewhere accessable to all not just people with cars,….Good luck