Effective today, dogs are allowed on White Rock’s promenade.
Leashed dogs will be allowed on the waterfront pathway from Oct. 1 to March 31
Earlier this year, the city approved a trial program to permit dogs on the promenade during the off season. The city formed a ‘Dogs on the Promenade Task Force’ to determine the approach used to assess the level of success of the trial.
Council is to review the details of the pilot and determine next steps in spring 2020, according to a city-issued news release.
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Earlier this year, three members of that task force resigned, and left the committee dominated by members who are in support of the Oct. 1 bylaw change.
Last month, former task force members contacted Peace Arch News, and wrote that the initiative was “nothing more than a misguided, political partisan process, pandering to an entitled group of dog owners who are determined to get their way, with little regard to the public health and safety, and the environment.”
Bev O’Malley, one of the three task members that quit, told PAN that when she signed up for the task force, she was under the impression that the task force’s objective was to design measures to determine the success or failure of having dogs on the promenade.
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Coun. Scott Kristjanson, who is the chairman of the task force, agreed that there was a miscommunication.
“We used the term trial from the start but really, it was a pilot,” he said, adding that the task force will continue to address the concerns of people who are not in favour of allowing dogs on the promenade.
According to a city news release, a survey presented to council showed that nearly 76 per cent of 1,388 respondents were in favour of dogs on the promenade.
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Tuesday morning, the city installed disposal bags for dog owners, and replaced signage along the promenade. Dogs are allowed in Memorial Park year-round, they are not allowed on White Rock Pier at any time.