CITY OF TORONTO STUDY OF EXISTING OFF-LEASH AREAS - OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE EXPERIENCES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

It has long been felt that poor conditions at the Sam Smith Park off-leash area are not very attractive to dog owners and, in fact, push owners to walk their dogs in the environmentally sensitive areas of the park, often off leash. The more appealing the dog park becomes, the more people will use it, leading to fewer off-leash dogs in unsanctioned areas.

FOSS has previously written to Councillor Grimes with suggestions for dog park improvements .....

The City of Toronto is currently conducting a formal study of existing off-leash areas. The purpose of the study is to identify necessary/desired improvements.  Here is the link to the study.

There are three ways to take part in the study:

1. Take the online survey. It's critical to get your thoughts documented.
2. Attend one of the pop-up consultations at a dog park this fall.
3. Write imalczewski@swerhun.com  (Ian works for Swerhun Facilitation, and has been hired by Thinc Design (the City's consultants) to be the point person on the project. You could also email dola@toronto.ca, the general inbox for dogs off-leash areas.

The survey is pretty good. Know that if you identify yourself as a dog owner, you'll get the full survey, giving you the chance to express feedback on dog park design and more. If you say you don't have a dog, you'll only get a handful of questions. One question is about negative effects to the environment by off-leash dogs. Please tell it like it is. Please also include any solutions you'd like to suggest, if you wish.