The mayor of Saanich promises all options will be on the table tonight when council deliberates its “People, Pets and Parks” strategy. Dean Murdock said nothing is set in stone and council could do anything with the strategy from enacting it as-is, tweaking it or scrapping it altogether.
In an interview Tuesday, following a four-hour public hearing Monday night on a draft strategy that saw dozens of residents slam it as being out of touch, unnecessary and Draconian, Murdock said he’s not sure what council is likely to do.
“The extent to which those policies and regulations get changed as a result of the strategy, I think is what council’s being asked to consider for [tonight]. I’m not sure where things will land,” he said. “I don’t know if council’s going to choose to accept the recommendations as written, if they may ask staff for changes or if maybe we go back to the drawing board.”
Council agreed to recess the public hearing until today, at which point no more public input will be allowed, and council will get to ask questions of its staff and deliberate on what to do with the draft plan.
Murdock said council was sent down this path by a 2021 council decision to look into conflicts in the parks.
“Concerns were being raised about those conflicts and the potential for further environmental damage,” he said. “The strategy is responding to a number of issues that exist, one of which is the growth and popularity of our parks.”
He said with more people with dogs using the parks there is an increase in the potential for conflict between people and dogs or dogs and dogs and environmental damage. “The strategy is an effort to try and bring some regulation to that space to prevent the potential for further incidents,” he said.
On Monday night, dozens of speakers filled Saanich council chambers in person and dozens more plugged in online to urge council to scrap the draft paper and find a new way to bring balance to the district’s 172 parks, saying the draft strategy prepared for the district by Lees Associates needs improvement.
The strategy, in the works for two years, is aimed at balancing the interests of park users, dog owners and commercial dog walkers. But opponents said it would create more problems than it would address, and was not be worth an estimated $7 million it could cost to implement.
The vast majority focused on a suggested update to the Animal Bylaw that would require all pets to be on-leash in Saanich parks unless they are within a designated leash-optional area.
Currently the bylaw allows dogs to be off-leash under owner control in all parks.
The draft has identified 57 of Saanich’s 172 parks that could have off-leash areas, of which 12 would have fenced off-leash areas. The strategy recommends a 1.5-kilometre trail loop within PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park) and a four-hectare fenced area with trails in Cuthbert Holmes Park. It is also recommending that Cordova Bay Beach be off-leash year-round.
“Generally, people are supportive of the vision but the off-leash or leash requirements for some folks will be a bit of a challenge for them,” said Murdock.
Council heard the new regulations could be discriminatory against elderly and disabled people who might not be able to exercise their dogs on a leash; that leashes hamper the mental and physical health of both animals and dog owners; that walking with a dog on a leash on steep hills can be dangerous and that it’s likely to have a negative effect on the environment as it could force some people to get in their cars and drive to areas where they can have their dogs off leash.
“Accessibility is important to me as a senior,” said Deb Bastedo. “I hike two hours per day with my dog and I often use two walking sticks. I cannot practically or safely do that with my dog on leash, nor would she get the exercise she needs.”
Liane O’Grady said she needs walking poles to maintain her balance and prevent injury when walking with her dog, which makes it impossible to hold onto a leash.
“In fact, it’s dangerous. So, the proposed bylaw will violate my charter rights. It will discriminate against me because of my brittle bones and my need for the poles,” she said.
Luke Galimberti said: “There was never any effort to actually enforce existing regulations and that wasn’t even considered as an option in the strategy. It’s difficult to accept that there’s a pressing need for new sweeping regulations and a massive spending program when you haven’t even used the tools at your disposal.”
Many speakers suggested the strategy was full of opinion, survey results and few facts. They suggested the facts provided did not make a case for bringing in a sweeping set of regulations.
Murdock said all of the voices heard on Monday will be taken into account. He said he regrets that the issue has caused so much divisiveness.
“It’s not a meeting I’m looking forward to. I can’t say that the process that we’ve gone through has been one that I’ve relished at all,” he said.
“I also recognize that change is hard and anytime that we look at changing things that impact the way people enjoy the parks or how they recreate with their dog is going to have an impact.”
Council will reconvene at 6 p.m. tonight to deliberate on the matter.
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