Council approved pop-up dog parks at various parks in Saanich as a pilot program for the summer months. At Cadboro-Gyro Park, the pop-up dog park will be available from August 24 to September 7. Saanich has provided further information specific to Cadboro-Gyro Park, shared below and available directly at this link.
Cadboro-Gyro Park is different than the other parks we have had pop-up areas in — as the animal control by-law states that from the months May through August dogs are not allowed at:
“Cadboro Bay-Gyro Park and the public beach at Cadboro Bay lying between the
easterly boundary of Gyro Park and the boundary of the Municipality of Oak Bay,
EXCEPT before 9:00 a.m. on any day.”
This bylaw is under review, but for the period of time this pilot project is in place this restriction will be relaxed to allow individuals to access the dog area. This relaxation has been granted so that the district could determine if establishing a temporary enclosed off leash area in Cadboro- Gyro Park reduces the demand for the off-leash beach area as currently permitted under the animal control bylaw.
We recommend that dogs be leashed while passing through the park during this time.
Parks staff will continue to visit the park regularly to collect additional feedback about the program including:
- the level of acceptance for establishing designated off leash areas in Saanich Parks;
- receive feedback from both dog owners and non-dog owners concerning key issues that need to be addressed in order to successfully establish and operate designated off leash areas in the Saanich Parks system;
- and gain a better understanding of the suitability of this location for any future off leash areas.
The pop-up dog park will be open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily with the exception of August 24 when the area will open after the temporary fencing is set-up.
“We want our beautiful parks to be enjoyable and comfortable spaces for all users and we want to support responsible dog owners,” said Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee Chair and Councillor Judy Brownoff. “Through the pop-up program, we’ll gather information that will be useful for our upcoming District-wide dog strategy.” (now called the Saanich Parks, Pets and People Strategy).
Learn more about dogs in Saanich:
Visit saanich.ca/dogs. Please note the schedule is subject to change.
For more information contact:
Saanich Parks
parks@saanich.ca
250-475-5522
