Kids or canines: battle rages on over who to fence in at Cathcart Park
A feud is heating up over who should be fenced in at an Ottawa park: kids or dogs.
Cathcart Park in the Lowertown neighbourhood has turned into an unlikely battleground between parents and dog owners. Residents with kids complain dogs are turning the sandbox into a litter box and knocking over children who stand in the way.
Rideau-Vanier ward Coun. Mathieu Fleury proposed a $250,000 solution at a meeting Thursday night on how to to makeover the space. The plan includes a fenced-off area that would allow dogs of all kinds to run off-leash away from the children's play structure.
But some dog owners and parents opposed the plan for different reasons, sparking a yelling match between the two sides.
Brian Tinkess, 70, fired up the crowd and then stormed off with his Greyhound Archer. CBC News asked him why he got so upset.
"Because these idiots that come here once a day with their two-year-olds to slide down a plastic slide for two minutes are upset my dog is here," said Tinkess. "My dog is not aggressive, he does nothing."
West Highland Terrier owner Kate Laing says she wants the playground removed altogether.
"I would say if you're concerned about the safety or heath of your child, then why would you bring them to a park where that's a risk, when you can go 300 feet up the street?" Laing asked.
But parents say they love the park and want to find a way to coexist rather than walking to nearby Bingham Park, which has a play area away from dogs.
Crystal Amado has a three-year-old and a 12-month-old learning to walk. She says she's not opposed to installing the fence around Cathcart's play structure after she stopped taking her kids to the park over safety concerns.
"I can tell you quite honestly as a parent I don't feel safe to come to this playground anymore," said Amando. "My kids get pushed over by dogs. It's a pretty heated issue that we are not able to safely play in this space."
"I'm a huge fan of the plan," said parent Jessica Strauss. "It encloses the dogs. Some small children have had nips by dogs on the face ... the dogs use the park as a litter box, it's very unpleasant."
Some parents say a chain-link fence will make the park look like a jail yard. And many dog owners take issue with the city's plan to tear out grass and replace it with rocky, decomposed granite for dogs to hang out off-leash. The city says there's no drainage and they don't want the ground to turn to mud.
Fleury says he expected to get a lot of feedback. During his last meeting on the issue in June, more than 200 comments poured in over from residents in one hour alone.
"When we come back with only one option we know there will be tweaks and amendments," said Fleury. "The majority of people like the way it is now. It's to find a way to safeguard against these interactions [between dogs and kids]."
Fleury also says he's open to changing the proposal.
Residents have two weeks to give their feedback and find some common ground.
