Coquitlam council voted Monday to build a separated trail loop in Mundy Park that would permit off-leash dog walking at all times of day.
The trail will be located in the southeast section of the park, close to the current fenced in off-leash area.
The city is also launching its Train Your Human campaign, which is aimed at dog owners and includes stepped-up bylaw enforcement focusing on education, according to parks, recreation and culture services general manager Raul Allueva. Still, fines could be issued to owners who do not pick up their dogs waste or ignore leash rules. Bylaw officers will also be using bikes to make their way through the trail system, allowing them to get further into the park.
Allueva said data collected during the bylaw blitz will be used to determine future enforcement needs.
Train Your Human campaign is an effort to get residents to pick up after their animals and be responsible pet owners.
The initiative is part of an enforcement blitz that is expected at parks across the municipality this summer, with particular attention being paid to Mundy, where the city has received many complaints about dog conflicts.
Posters going up for the campaign ask dogs to ensure their humans have picked up their waste, purchased their licences and kept them on leashes unless during designated times.
The enforcement effort comes after staff discovered during a public consultation period for Mundy’s forest management plan that most residents wanted to talk about pets and pet owners. Many cited a lack of owner etiquette, noting people often ignored the on-leash rules and allowed their animals to jump on other people and venture off the trails.
Pet owners will still be permitted to walk their dogs at Mundy Park on leash at all times and off leash on certain designated trails between dawn and 10 a.m. every day.
Some residents expressed concern that the city may end the off-leash times, a proposal Mayor Richard Stewart assured them during Monday night’s council meeting was not under consideration.
“There has been some confusion,” he said. “Council has never contemplated reducing dog off-leash hours in the park.”
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