First of all, I would like to thank Cochrane town Coun. Jeff Toews for championing the trial shared-space off-leash park pilot project in the Sunset neighbourhood.
Not only is access to safe areas to play and exercise dogs essential for the animals and their owners, but it also assists the neighborhood as well. A well-trained, socialized and happy dog is far less likely to be a risk to others and bark at everything that moves.
In my experience, there are always “pros and cons” to every project, and the off-leash park pilot project seems to be no different.
I can empathize with residents who suddenly have their previously unfettered access to a pathway invaded by dogs who, if the owners are not diligent with cleaning up their waste, will in time make that area a wildlife toilet. I also empathize with dog lovers who are just trying to give their four-legged friends somewhere to play and exercise.
Is it fair for residents to have to have something change after they have bought their homes? No. But does the town need more off-leash park areas? Yes.
I then thought about how this current issue has strong parallels with all efforts that try to alter/retrofit something.
This issue in many ways represents how critical it is to ensure forward thinking occurs at the start of a project vs. trying to make something work/adding something after the fact. Whether this be the addition of increasingly mainstream concepts such as sustainability/connectivity/“social infrastructure” (the intangibles that demonstrate a town’s commitment to issues that make up the character of the town you live in) or your typical planning priorities such as transportation/access to services/safety concerns; all of these items become more problematic, more expensive and have many more unintended consequences when you try to retrofit them into an already-established community.
My hope is that councillors recognize this basic inescapable reality when they approve future development plans for our town.
Dan Cunin
