These are the latest Guidelines from the City with regard to Off Leash Parks

DOLA is Open!

UPDATE: REOPENING TORONTO’S DOG PARKS

As you know, Premier Doug Ford and Mayor John Tory have both announced that Toronto’s off-leash areas will reopen on Tuesday, May 19. We have no additional information to report at this time. Still, there are simple things we can all do to make this reopening successful.

Here are some ways we can all do our part:

• If you aren’t in a rush, wait a few days to avoid potential overcrowding.
• Practice social distancing, following existing guidelines.
If the dog park is too busy to practice social distancing, come back another time.
Use caution with frequently touched objects, including gates.
Ensure your dog will reliably come when called.
Supervise dogs and children closely, at all times.
Keep an eye out for wildlife that may have taken up residence to raise their young.
Put all litter in the proper bin, including poop and gloves.
Be kind. People and dogs may be stressed.

Finally, be ready for potential inconveniences like closed parking lots, tall grass and who knows what else. Please be patient. Workers are doing their best.

The City of Toronto holds public consultations as one way to engage residents in the life of their city. We invite you to get involved.
The City of Toronto, City Planning Division, in collaboration with consultants from DIALOG, is holding an Open House to present the Draft Pet-friendly Design Guidelines and Best Practices for New Multi-unit Buildings. Please come
and provide us with feedback on how we can improve the document.
Details are as follows:

OPEN HOUSE
Pet-friendly Design Guidelines and Best Practices for New Multi-unit Buildings

Date: Time: Place:

Tuesday, October 22, 2019
6pm - 9pm
Metro Hall Rotunda(55 John Street, Ground Floor Lobby)

The City of Toronto has initiated a project to create a set of Pet Friendly Design Guidelines for Toronto’s multi-unit, high-density communities. Toronto communities are becoming increasingly compact, and include a large and growing pet population. In these areas, existing facilities may be at or nearing capacity, and additional space, facilities, and amenities are increasingly required to support the growing pet population and their owners, as well as to provide open space and facilities for everyone to enjoy.
The purpose of this study is to develop a series of guidelines and best practices to inform the design and planning of pet amenities in multi-unit, high-density communities. The study will focus on three scales – the neighbourhood, the building, and unit - covering the private to the public realm, with recommendations and strategies tailored to address issues associated with each scale.
As you have expressed interest on this matter previously, we would like to invite you to contribute your ideas and your perspective on how the resulted draft Guidelines can inform planning and development to improve residents’ access to facilities and amenities, and quality of life. We hope that you are able to attend.

Ran Chen
Project Manager – City of Toronto Phone: 416-392-1137
Email: Ran.Chen@toronto.ca
Notice to correspondents:

Gail Shillingford
Project Manager – DIALOG
Phone: 416-849-6825
Email: GShillingford@dialogdesign.ca

 

Personal information received at community consultation meetings or contained in correspondence with the City is collected under sections 8 and 136 of the City of Toronto Act, 2006 specifically for creating a public record of information potentially relevant to making an informed decision. Questions about the collection of this information may be directed to the Planner listed above.Compliance with City Council policy respecting Notice may result in you receiving duplicate notices.

City-Wide Study of Existing Dog Off-Leash Area Pup-Ups

Hello Dog Off Leash Area Stakeholder,

Please Share: Extended Pup-Up Hours

Due to popular demand, we’ve extended the hours for the Pup-Ups taking place before and after the workday. Please see the schedule below; Pup Ups with extended hours are indicated in bold text.

All the Pup-Ups will take place within or adjacent to the Off-Leash Areas (OLA). Look for us under the blue City of Toronto tent at the OLA.

The information is also posted on www.toronto.ca/olastudy and we encourage you to spread the word to your networks!

Location (Off-Leash Area)	Date	Time
Bayview Arena Park	Thursday, October 17th	4:30 – 7:00pm
Cherry Beach Park	Saturday, October 19th	9:00 – 11:00 am
High Park	Saturday, October 19th	12:00 – 2:00 pm
Merrill Bridge Park	Tuesday, October 22nd	7:30 – 10:00 am
Beresford Park	Wednesday, October 23rd	8:30 – 11:00 am
Allan Gardens	Wednesday, October 23rd	4:30 – 7:00 pm
Sunnybrook Park	Thursday, October 24th	10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Sandy Bruce Park	Thursday, October 24th	4:30 – 7:00 pm
Wychwood Car Barns Park	Saturday, October 26th	9:00 – 11:00 am
L’Amoreaux Park	Monday, October 28th	4:30 – 7:00 pm

Party Time!

Hello Friends of Ramsden Park, 

This fall, Park People is hosting two new national webinars, sharing practical ways to advance your work in city parks across Canada. 

In October's webinar, hear from national city park experts about how they've made awesome things happen in their parks. In November, learn about how to connect with local media can help rally community around your city park.

Register now to get back to school with us this fall. Please help us spread the word and share this online learning opportunity with your networks!

DATES

• Saturday October 19th at 3:00 pm EST: Three Steps to Establishing a Community Park Group
• Saturday November 23rd at 3:00 pm EST: Build your Park Group's Media Profile

Both webinars will also be held in French. Cliquez-ici pour apprendre plus sur nos webinaires en français.

Dear Dog Off-Leash Area stakeholders,

Please find below the survey link that you can share via email and social media outlets, this will assist in ensuring we receive valuable feedback and data about existing City Off-leash Areas. 

https://cotsurvey.chkmkt.com/ola-survey

In addition, as outlined in the Discussion Guide, the 10 Case Study sites where the "Pup-ups" will be held have been finalized and are as follows:

1. L'Amoureaux Park OLA
2. High Park OLA
3. Beresford Park OLA
4. Wychwood Barns Park OLA
5. Allan Gardens OLA
6. Merrill Bridge Road Park OLA
7. Cherry Beach OLA
8. Sunnybrook Park OLA
9. Bayview Arena Park OLA
10. Sandy Bruce Park OLA

The intention of the 10 Case Study sites is to serve as exemplars to demonstrate how the researched global Best Practices may be applied to sites to solve issues that are common across all of the City's existing OLAs. The above mentioned sites were chosen using site selection criteria that was developed by our Consultant in consultation with Stakeholders to identify common attributes. Examples of criteria include; size of OLA, type of surface, presence of trees, etc. Design solutions that address each attribute of interest will be developed as a type of 'lessons learned', and be used to inform future work in OLA's, such as changes to maintenance routines or when renovations are undertaken when adequate resources and funding are secured.  

For continuous project updates, please visit the project webpage at: www.toronto.ca/olastudy.

Thank you,

DOLA Administrator