Dog owners may soon have a selection of areas where they will have the right to let their pooches roam free without a leash.
The District of Squamish has chosen several zones in the community to pilot off-leash dog policies.
On Nov. 9, council voted 4-2 in favour of endorsing several sites that municipal staff proposed.
These are: John Hunter Park in Valleycliffe; Merrill Park in the Garibaldi Highlands; the Powerline Service Road in Brackendale and the Brennan Park fenced dog run.
Fencing at Brennan Park dog run would come with a roughly $30,000 price tag, staff say.
Municipal bureaucrats recommended these locations after surveying residents on the matter and gathering their feedback.
A staff report reads 860 people commented via either the survey, online comments, and email correspondence. A majority of respondents completed the survey, with an 80% completion rate.
Of those who responded, 82% were dog owners. Approximately 90% of the respondents live in Squamish.
As part of council's motion, politicians are also directing staff to engage the community for an off-leash location downtown.
Mayor Karen Elliott and Coun. Armand Hurford were the two elected officials who voted against the motion. Coun. Jenna Stoner is away on maternity leave and did not vote.
Elliott was critical that staff's list of proposed pilot sites did not include anything downtown.
"I think for a pilot project to be successful, it should've covered all areas. There is no place downtown, and we have lots of new residents downtown, said Elliott.
"There is no place in proximity to Dentville, Northyards, and very limited options in Brackendale. So, I think we're going to have more trouble enforcing this than we would otherwise if we had figured out pilot projects for each of our major neighbourhoods."
She also noted the pilot areas are spaced out, which means they won't be within walking distance for many residents.
"This encourages people to drive, which is the opposite of what I want," said Elliott. "I don't want people getting in their cars to walk their dog. That just seems like a climate disaster contribution."
Hurford said he was uncomfortable with the data.
He noted that there wasn't much diversity in opinion with about 80% of the respondents being dog owners.
"I don't think in any other work that we've done, we'd accept the cyclist's point of view for the hikers or vice-versa, and I see a similar piece here," Hurford said.
On the other hand, Coun. Doug Race said the project was a good start.
"This is going to be, I think, a learning process for all of us," said Race."I think it'll just be a matter of seeing how the pilot projects work and we'll see where it takes us a few months or a year from now."
