Dog owners who have enjoyed an unofficial off-leash park in Oyama for years may have to keep their pets close at hand in the future, now that the District of Lake Country owns the old CN Rail corridor running the length of the Oyama isthmus.
At last week's Lake Country council meeting, Coun. Owen Dickie did not find support around the table for a notice of motion that would have made rail corridor across the isthmus and along the east side of Wood Lake to the end of the Canada Lands an off-leash area for dogs, with the exception of public beaches in the area.
"For years and years the isthmus has been a dogs-off-leash area," Dickie said, adding that since the district bought the corridor, there has been increased enforcement. "We promised everyone there would be no changes (on the corridor) until public consultation. It seems like the regional district has taken a different view and has been harassing people on the corridor. The area should remain an off-leash-dog area until consultations can be held and decisions about what the area should be are made."
Dickie's notion of motion raised the ire of Lake Country mayor James Baker who said no changes had been made in the area, which has never been an official off leash dog park.
"I think it's premature to advertise that as an off-leash area," said Baker. "You will have everybody in the Central Okanagan coming with their dogs. There will be major conflicts in the area for people that have issues with dogs. It's not changing the use by enforcing a bylaw that is in effect that hasn't been enforced before."
In Lake Country, and the rest of the Central Okanagan, dog control bylaws are enforced by the Regional District of the Central Okanagan (RDCO). Communities such as Lake Country inform the RDCO of their specific on and off leash dog parks so bylaw officers can enforce the rules.
"Each municipality determines its off-leash areas and then we enforce it," said Bruce Smith, RDCO spokesperson. "They designate or advise us. We only enforce what they suggest."
The problem with the CN corridor is that Lake Country has yet to set policy on the corridor about dogs and whether they need to be on or off leash.
Dickie said the fact remains that people were told nothing would change with the purchase of the corridor and now it appears things have changed with increased enforcement of what used to be an off-leash area.
"When we proceeded to buy this property we said things would not change and we're not being fair or honest to the people," said Dickie. "It's a significant change."
In the end Dickie's motion did not receive a second and instead a motion to ask for a staff report on the issue for the March 15 council meeting passed with Dickie the lone councillor opposed.
"Until we designate a park or an area of the trail as off-leash, dogs have to be on leash anytime they are out," said Baker.
Currently in Lake Country there are three areas that the district has designated as official off-leash dog areas: Near Woodsdale Road and Bottom Wood Lake Road at Wood Lake in Winfield and the North End of Coral Beach in Carr's Landing.