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Kelowna  

Petition for new dog beach

Kelowna dog lovers and their water-loving pooches have been fighting for a second dog beach in the city for years – now, a new petition is gaining traction and getting noticed by the city.

The online and print petition has gained more than 1,000 signatures from dog owners who are fed up with having only one beach in town as an option.

The petition asks the City of Kelowna to turn Sutherland Park on Ellis Street, beside the Tolko mill, into a new fenced-off off-leash dog park.

Currently, dog owners can only get lake access in Kelowna at the Cedar Creek Dog Park on Lakeshore Road. It is the only dog-friendly beach in the city and one that requires a decent drive and access to a vehicle.

From downtown Kelowna, it takes at least 25 minutes to get to the Cedar Creek park, not taking into account the Lakeshore construction. From Rutland, the park is a 30-minute drive and from Glenmore, dog owners are looking at least 35 minutes.

Bernice Leduc started the petition.

She points out that while there are several off-leash dog parks around the city, access to water and/or shade is vital during Okanagan summers.

“It would be really nice to have a place to take our dogs to swim, a place that is safe and accessible,” writes Leduc. “There is plenty of room down here (Sutherland) to accommodate dogs and humans.”

She feels it is a shame the best dog beaches in the area are on the Westside and in Summerland. 

Those who have signed the petition seem to agree with the proposed park location.

“The dog beach out on Lakeshore is a long way for me to take my dog swimming,” writes Frank Chute.

“The Sutherland park is perfect for a dog beach as nobody swims there anyway because of all the geese droppings. If we turned it into a dog beach, that would eliminate the geese problem. Also, the park is already fenced; all that would have to be done is install a few gates.”

Bonny Puglia also points out the beach is not used or liked by swimmers because of its proximity to the sawmill.

“We need more fenced off-leash dog parks, especially with access to water,” adds Puglia.

City parks planning manager Terry Barton is aware of the petition and says petitioners and dog owners are on the right track.

Barton says the park has been considered by staff in the past, and it was an off-leash dog park in the late 1990s. But, it wasn't properly fenced or located, and neighbours were not fans.

“It proved not to be popular, so it was removed after a short time. It aggravated the local neighbourhood too much,” says Barton. “ So, if we were to go forward with the same or similar location, we would obviously want to do it in a more responsible way and address some of these neighbourhood concerns.”

While it may appear fairly easy to put a dog beach in that location, Barton says it is not as easy and throwing up a fence and putting in some gates.

“City staff would have to look at some of the tactical considerations,” explains Barton. “We would have to see how we could fit it in, how much cost it would be, how parking could be accommodated, would it trigger the need for washrooms, how could that be accommodated – there is a lot to consider. It is more than whether simply a location is somewhere you might think is a good location or not.”

Barton says city staff are aware the Cedar Creek dog park is out of the way for many dog owners and says they have been trying for years to find a solution.

“There has been an overall high-arching objective of trying to find another off-leash dog park along the lake for a number of years, and you can imagine that is very difficult to find one,” says Barton.

“There is one in the south that serves that community very well, but the need is really in the central area, in and around the downtown. So, that is the location people really want see it. But, having said that, it is difficult to find the right location that is not going to cause problems.”

Barton says about five years ago city officials attempted a proposal for a off-leash dog-friendly park at Kinsmen Beach Park, but it was met with resistance from neighbours and naturalists and the proposal failed.

“We have simply been waiting for the right opportunity. It is not exactly clear where that right opportunity is,” says Barton. “It has got to be done in a responsible fashion and there is just not a location that pops out as an ideal location.”

Barton says they are looking at a possible linear location north of Sutherland Park that would keep the dogs farther from neighbours, but all current ideas are just that and would need further study and evaluation.

The petition closes July 31 and will be delivered to City Hall.

“We are not against it, we would take it under consideration and study its impacts. If this was an easy location, we would have brought it forth many years ago,” adds Barton. “There are definitely trade-offs and issues that we need to resolve somehow.”

You can get to the online petition by clicking here.



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