(Yes, that’s the Guthrie’s new dog “Rogue”! Posing like he’s all that!)
There have been a number of recent inquiries regarding the Leash Free Policy update and progress on this project.
City Council approved through the Open Space Planning in the 2018 capital budget to begin the process of developing a Leash Free Policy.
The purpose of the project is to determine what the Leash Free Policy for the City of Guelph should look like. To do this, an extensive community engagement plan is being prepared. It is expected that the City will review and receive input on the existing bylaws, policies and off leash facilities to help shape our Leash Free Policy.
The anticipated outcome of the project is to have a Leash Free Policy that is comprehensive and reflects the community needs from all park and open space users (both with and without dogs as members of their household). It is anticipated that the new Leash Free Policy will provide design guidelines and direction for future off-leash facilities. (It is not as simple as putting up a fence around an existing park.)
To date, all inquiries received since mid-2017 will be taken into consideration when developing the new policy. All residents that have shared their thoughts to the City have been added to the list of residents to be engaged directly. The City appreciates residents’ interests on this topic and will be sure to send out invitations to upcoming public meetings so that they may have opportunity to share their thoughts, experiences and expectations.
The community engagement process is expected to start in the spring/summer of 2018. Once the dates are firm, residents will be notified a few weeks.
Take care!
Cam