Last week, Saanich’s council endorsed a plan to rezone Panama Flats as a bird and nature sanctuary and pushed back a decision on what that means for dogs in the park.

That’s got a group of dog advocates saying they feel “blindsided” and “betrayed.”  

“They’re a lot upset,” says Eulala Mills of the CRD DOGG Society—that stands for Dog Owners (and Friends) for Good Governance Society, which, along with its associated Facebook page, Happy Dogs in Sanich Park, counts 2K members.

“We thought we had an agreement,” Mills says.

In October, Saanich’s council approved a concept plan that would prohibit dogs from certain areas of the flats but would allow them to be on-leash on designated trails and, most notably, leash-optional on an eight-foot-wide pathway that is bordered with bushes and runs less than a kilometre between Hyacinth Park and Roy Road.

Almost two dozen groups representing community associations, interest groups, and First Nations spent the better part of a year developing the plan for Panama Flats—a 26 ha (65-acre) natural area between Interurban and Carey that Saanich bought in 2011.

The plan calls for the district to focus less on producing agriculture in the flats and more on preserving the area's habitat and biodiversity, while still allowing people to enjoy the park.

Council pushes back animal bylaw discussion

The council approved the environmental aspect on Monday night. But it also voted to postpone discussing the animal bylaw component until the Jan. 26 council meeting.

“Staff brought the zoning and other needed changes to the Monday council meeting.” Mills says, but it “reneged on the commitment to dog owners and asked staff to come back with changes that take away off-leash access.”

Mills says her group “made a whole bunch of compromises, reasonable ones that we agreed were necessary, and we asked for one small thing.”

That one small thing: that leash-optional area. 

Coun. Karen Harper, who introduced the motion to postpone the animal bylaw discussion, said the dog group jumped the gun on that. 

“They never had a deal because there’s been no decision,” Harper tells Capital Daily.

Harper says the area in question is environmentally sensitive and that allowing dogs off-leash could pose a risk, not only to wildlife but also to people. 

“What they want is the path that connects these two off-leash areas, and this is an area that is walked by seniors. Children run by, and it's a very narrow pathway, so it's not actually just about the birds.”

Mayor alone in voting against the postponement

Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock was the sole council member to vote against the motion to postpone discussion on the animal bylaws.

“I did not support the decision, as I felt the concept plan was the product of robust consultation that resulted in a compromise for trail use,” he said in an email to Capital Daily. 

He said he regrets this development has overshadowed “the incredible work and consultative process that has resulted in the long-term protection of this special place,” but looks forward to the public having its say at a council meeting on Jan. 26.

“I fully expect we’ll hear from many folks about the impact of those changes—both positive and negative. Many of those folks likely did not attend previous meetings to address council, as they supported the approved concept plan.”

Right now, and until any changes are made, dogs are allowed throughout Panama Flats—leash-optional—any day from 6am to 9am.

Harper also points out that Saanich has roughly 170 parks, 56 of which are leash-optional. 

“So it's not as if there aren't a lot of areas,” she says.

“I love dogs, and dogs do need places to be off-leash. But they need to be places that don't create unintended consequences. And I don't think a bird sanctuary is one of the places that we need dogs off-leash. Period.”