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The number of off-leash dog parks in Sarnia could be tripling.

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Fenced-off space in Heritage and Tecumseh parks could be added as early as 2023, joining the only city-owned off-leash area for dogs in Germain Park.

City council unanimously voted for the two locations after a recent public input process. City staff have been asked to return with exact locations within the southern-city green spaces, as well as more details about the prospective builds, for the 2023 budget process.

Budget deliberations are expected next January.

In Tecumseh Park, there’s space near the ball diamond that could be used, Sarnia community services co-ordinator Krissy Glavin said.

“We do see a lot of people with dogs in that park, so that’s why that park space – that open space – is somewhere we would like to explore,” she said, noting there’s also lots of “room to run” available in Heritage Park.

“We look forward to being able to offer some amenities to dog owners in our communities.”

Both parks actually ranked lower in public feedback than Mike Weir Park, but the Lake Huron-adjacent space in the city’s north wasn’t selected since it’s also a candidate for beach volleyball courts and a disc golf course. That park has gone through “a significant amount of naturalization efforts in recent years” that needs to be protected, Sarnia community services general manager Stacey Forfar added in an email.

“As such, at this time, we recommended we advance Heritage and Tecumseh as they have available open spaces that can be easily converted for this use,” she wrote. “That certainly doesn’t mean that a space for off-leash dogs cannot be considered in the future for Mike Weir and perhaps other park spaces in the community.”

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Analia Davis, chair of the Sarnia Off-Leash Parks and Zones group that helped create the Germain Park space in 2017, said she would have rather seen Mike Weir Park selected, as well as space at Camp Saredaca used for an off-leash zone.

Lack of parking at Heritage Park and potential land ownership issues at Tecumseh prevented those recently approved sites from being selected instead of Germain several years ago, she said.

“I don’t agree those should be the priority right now,” she said.

Her volunteer group, Davis added, had also asked to have a seat at the table to help the city with planning, but there had been no communication since last spring before the options were set in December for public input.

“When you have volunteer committees who are spending their time to be of assistance, perhaps they should be listened to,” Davis said.

The public input process was open to everyone, Glavin said, adding she couldn’t address why more consultation with the committee didn’t happen outside of that process.

Funds collected through dog licensing should also be put towards amenities like dog parks, Davis suggested.

Revenue in 2021 from the 4,185 licences sold was $168,000, city building and bylaw manager Adam MacDonald reported.

Most of that money goes to offset pound costs at the Sarnia and District Humane Society, he said.

Council recently also accepted a staff suggestion to not move forward with an off-leash dog beach in the city after public feedback on the options was mostly negative.

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That could have differed if the city had included a fenced or walled-off section at the west end of Canatara Beach as an option instead of Mike Weir, Kenwick and Baxter beaches, Davis said.

A separate cordoned-off area at Canatara Beach would have addressed concerns about dogs being loose around other beach-goers and dog waste in the sand, she said.

There’s no room at the other locations to set up something like that, she said.

“The three locations were set up to fail.”

Creating a barrier would have let the city retain Blue Flag status for Canatara Beach but would have cost more, Glavin said.

“Then you’re looking at cutting out some of the footprint of Canatara Beach as well,” she said.

Coun. Bill Dennis called for another public input survey in the form of a yes-or-no question about whether the city should have a dog beach.

Council voted that suggestions down 7-2, with Coun. Brian White and Dennis on the losing end of the decision.

“I think we’ve had enough discussion about dogs in the community,” Coun. Dave Boushy said.

The city had planned to run an off-leash dog beach pilot in 2020, but that proposal was delayed by high water levels and the COVID-19 pandemic.

More public input on the idea was sought after the city saw an increase in use of parks and beaches, staff have said.

There were 225 participants in the recent three-week survey.

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