As part of the five-year update for the 10 year Leisure Services Master Plan, staff will be looking into adding a new off-leash dog park for the Bradford community.
Council received the report from staff at last week's Committee of the Whole meeting at Bradford West Gwillimbury's meeting of council.
As Bradford continues to grow, with an expected population of just over 50,000 in 2031, it is expected another dog park will be desired by the community.
The report notes that according to the Canadian Animal Health Institute in 2018, approximately 41 percent of Canadian households include at least one dog, and with 35,000 people living in Bradford (2016 census), the town has a pooch population of about 14,000. Bradford currently has 1,000 active dog licenses.
Currently, the town has the off-leash dog park at Scanlon Creek on the 9th Line which is mostly used by residents of Bradford and Innisfil.
"How lucky we are that the LSRCA (Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority) and Scanlon opened up the Bark Park," commented Mayor Rob Keffer. "It certainly is good for our community and this report shows how valuable it is."
In the past, Enforcement Services have received complaints regarding off-leash dogs. In 2018, there were 114 complaints about dogs roaming the town at large and in June 2019, 80 complaints were received.
There is currently not enough space to accommodate an off-leash dog park with parking at any of the current park facilities. The report concluded that an off-leash dog park in an urban area is not ideal due to land requirements and conflicts between park users and residences.
Staff is looking into building the park in a rural setting and will continue to look for a potential property.
Staff estimates the cost to construct a new off-leash dog park would be between $150,000 and $200,000, providing municipal land is available.
"Off leash dog parks are good," said Coun. Peter Ferrange, noting that Scanlon is a little bit out of the way for most residents. "It will be interesting to see what staff comes forward with."
The idea will be discussed in the 2021 budget meeting this January.
To read the full report click here.
