Published in The BANAR June 2024
Laura Dudas
This was one of the first questions I was asked when I became the Blackburn Community Association President back in, what was it, 2007? It feels like that was a lifetime ago now. The question really resonated with me on a personal level, as a resident, dog owner and now a City Councillor. Over the last several years, I have set out on many a walk with my four-legged friends, looking for a place where we could take the leash off, run safely and play together.
In my first term at City Hall, I started digging into options as soon as I could, asking staff about various pieces of land around the Hamlet, trying to find even a small option that would suit an enclosed dog park. One of the first surprises I had in this process was just how few suitable locations there were. When we think about our neighbourhood, there is a lot of greenspace that weaves in and out of each corner of the community, not to mention the lush green lands that completely surround it. At first blush, finding a space for a dog park shouldn’t be that hard — there are so many places to choose from! I quickly learned that this just was not so. This is largely due to the myriad of different public and private entities that own the parks and open space around here, much of it belonging to the federally-managed National Capital Commission. Once the team I was working with at the City confirmed all of the City-owned spaces that could be explored, I quickly realized how much of a challenge it would be to find a place for the dog park.
One of the blessings we have in Blackburn is that our parks have a variety of recreational amenities, whether it be volleyball nets, climbers and swings, basketball nets, or otherwise. There really is something for any age to enjoy. This presented challenge number two, meeting the requirement for any new dog park to be a certain distance from recreational facilities and structures. This left us with just two options — Tauvette Park and the fenced-in site former site of the Blackburn Preschool behind the arena. The actual space that was open for discussion was actually very small, with a meager footprint to work with after room for required snow storage was factored in. There were also several flags from staff that, with the existing activities at the arena and ball diamond, parking would likely be a huge issue — not to mention the close proximity to the space where many softball and baseball games take place in the summer. And of course, there is the FunFair! All those issues aside, the project was prohibitively expensive due to the need to add a specialized surface to appropriately handle the potential dog piddling, with estimates coming in at around the $350K mark, just for a postage stamp space that likely would fit just a couple of dogs at a time.
We also explored the possibility of building one at Tauvette Park. I had my hopes up for a short while, as there wasn’t an immediate “no” from staff, but my hope was relatively short-lived. The lesser issue was the requirement for dogs and their owners to have to walk between the sports fields to access the park. This space would not be accessible at all during the winter, and there wasn’t a way to add lighting to the area, a glaring concern for both practical and safety reasons.
Those two final locations brought to a halt the exploratory journey for a dog park location in Blackburn, a journey that spanned multiple years of back and forth with City staff, and thought experiments of what “could be”. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t incredibly disappointed at the thought of not getting our neighbourhood a dog park like many of us wanted. Knowing this topic often comes up in discussion among neighbours, I am always open to hearing new ideas. After years and years of trying to land a suitable option, at this time, I can safely say that no stone has been left unturned.