Off-leash trail changes in Pacific Spirit Park don’t sit well with some dog owners

Metro Vancouver’s regional parks committee will vote on a proposal that could change the way people with pets use Pacific Spirit Park.

Proposed changes to the off-leash trail network at Pacific Spirt Regional Park have some park users barking mad.

“It will severely impact because there aren’t any continuous routes anymore. And what routes there are, they’re kind of disjointed,” said June Murphy, who frequently walks in the park with her dog.

In a report to Metro Vancouver’s Regional Parks Committee, staff recommend the changes to reduce conflict on the trails and protect ecologically sensitive areas.

A review identified 398 dog-related safety incidents in the park over a five-year period from 2020 to 2024.

“There are some very serious injuries in there,” said park operations supervisor Richard Wallis.

“We take those seriously and we want to improve that situation so everybody can have a safe, enjoyable visit in the park,”

When certain weekday restrictions are factored in, off-leash areas cover approximately 58 to 65 per cent of the park’s trail network.

Under the proposed changes, that could be reduced to 51 per cent.

“All of the commercial dog-walkers are going to, unfortunately, be pushed into one area which will make it overpopulated,” said professional dog-walker Ava Bosa, who worries there will be more conflict between dogs if there are fewer trails available for them to be off leash.

Wallis told CTV News increased enforcement of existing rules was something many people asked for during the consultation period for the proposed changes.

“Currently, about 65 per cent of the dogs on leash-required trails are not leashed. So, compliance is not good,” he told CTV News, adding that people can expect to see more monetary fines, rather than just warnings, going forward.

It’s something Bosa thinks would make a difference in how people use the park.

“A lot of the problems that we are faced with would be more manageable if we had more people patrolling,” she said.

Not everyone who spoke to CTV News in the park on Tuesday is opposed to the new rules.

“Under the proposal as I understand it, there’s still going to be a number of trails that are still going to be accessible to dogs off leash, as optional,” said Steve Herman, who says he uses the park to walk his dog and cycle in the summertime.

The proposed changes go before the committee on Wednesday, and if approved will take effect in May.

Wallis said park staff will monitor the rollout and be ready to adapt the plan further as necessary.