The future of an off-leash area in Ledbury Park continues to divide the community after the City of Toronto made a final decision to remove the dog park altogether. Most recently, locals held a rally, and dog owner John Conway made an official appeal. “This is a place where dog owners meet,” said Conway, regarding the park northwest of Avenue Road and Lawrence Avenue. “We are the most intensive users, no two ways about it.”
The decision to remove the off-leash enclosure was made last month by city parks general manager Brenda Patterson. It came about after locals refused to agree on relocating the off-leash area to the park’s centre.
According to local Jennifer Gould, the centre is often used by children, and a large contingent of neighbours would have been upset had the dog park been moved. “This is where our children play; it’s where we have our toboggan hill,” said Gould.
According to Coun. Karen Stintz, problems with the dog park surfaced in 2009. That was when members of the Toronto District School Board approached her, informing her that part of the dog park was on school land. They needed it returned within 10 years to accommodate renovation plans. The city held a meeting where it was suggested that the park be moved. As momentum grew, more locals came forward to object.
According to Carol Cormier, a city parks manager, it got to the point where a decision just had to be made. “This had gone on since 2009. We have had three public meetings, and at the end, we had no solutions. We just had to make a decision.”
To compensate for the loss of the park, the off-leash area at nearby Woburn Park will be upgraded. Additionally, a dog park will open at Yonge Street and York Mills Road, at G. Ross Lord Park and at Earl Bales Park.
