Thursday, October 15, 2009 6:21 PM
Doggonit! Compromise sets Fido free
Brodie Fenlon
Gasp! What's this?
A compromise? Common sense? At City Hall?
The parks and environment committee unanimously approved a policy Thursday that will prohibit dogs from all city swimming beaches in the summer, but allow them on-leash from Nov. 1 to March 31. The exception will be at Kew-Balmy and Woodbine beaches, where dogs will be permitted off-leash in the winter.
Dog owners were howling mad last year by a year-round canine ban at beaches where the city was trying to obtain Blue Flag status, an international ranking of water quality, cleanliness and upkeep.
The uproar was loudest at Kew-Balmy beach, which had for years been used as an informal off-leash area in the winter until the crackdown. Kew-Balmy received Blue Flag status in June.
"We want to take out our dogs and eke out a little big of joy and fun for our animals and ourselves in the dead of winter," said Beaches resident Diane McConnell.
The compromise — on-leash winter walks — was made extra sweet for Ward 32 Councillor Sandra Bussin, who convinced her colleagues on the committee to exempt the beaches in her ward from the on-leash requirement.
You see, Ward 32 has the largest number of licensed dogs in the city. It's also home to Chris Yaccato, who fought long and hard for the off-leash provision on behalf of the Toronto Beaches Dog Association.
No coincidence, I'm sure, that Mr. Yaccato also ran against Ms. Bussin in the 2003 election and has indicated he's considering throwing his hat in the ring again.
"We found the right remedy to make everybody happy," Ms. Bussin said yesterday
We're very happy," Mr. Yaccato said.
The Blue Flag program is administered by Environmental Defence and requires beaches to meet 27 eco-friendly criteria. The program doesn't specify whether dogs should be allowed or prohibited — only that regulations concerning dogs and other animals are "strictly enforced."
The new policy generally increases access to swimming beaches for Toronto dog walkers, although summer on-leash access will be eliminated at Marie Curtis, Sunnyside, Bluffer's and Rouge beaches.
Toronto Public Health raised concerns about the risk of infectious diseases from dog feces in beach water and sand, but agreed with the winter on-leash proposal as long as there are an adequate number of garbage bins, signage and beach cleaning before the swimming season begins.
Council must still approve the changes at its next meeting Oct. 25-26.
