Dear Editor:
At the West Vancouver council meeting Nov. 20, speaker after speaker spoke up about how allowing dogs on leashes on the Seawalk, especially the Centennial Seawalk, would affect their enjoyment of it.
Most of the speakers were worried about safety and the unnecessary risk to the walking public. With the exception of two councillors, these comments fell on deaf ears. Council was bent on passing the animal control and licence bylaw amendment, which is wide-ranging, affecting and changing the essential, relaxed nature of the Seawalk. It also changes other regulations concerning leashed dogs in parks and along the paved pathways in Horseshoe Bay Park.
The Seawalk was always meant for pedestrians only. For almost 60 years it has been a scenic, peaceful destination for people of all ages and abilities to enjoy a quiet stroll or jog along the foreshore. It was never intended for residents and non-residents to exercise their dogs, and, according to the new bylaw, as many as three dogs at a time per person.
This is a good example of the vocal minority exercising power over the silent majority. It surely has little to do with “the common good.” There is no compelling reason to change the bylaw, except for the perceived idea that West Vancouver isn’t dog-friendly enough. We have 14 off-leash dog parks!
I, for one, don’t think this amendment was well-publicized by the district to the public at large. And council certainly didn’t show any enthusiasm for re-drafting it to exclude the very popular Centennial Seawalk from dogs on leashes, although this was clearly an option.
I couldn’t help wondering about the urgency to get this voted on and passed. Staff seemed to be caught short in terms of how the bylaw would be enforced or monitored and if and how they intended to measure the success or failure of the changes.
Now we can only hope for the best – some common sense measures in enacting the bylaw that won’t diminish the Seawalk’s reputation as a relaxing and beautiful destination.
Anne Macdonald
West Vancouver
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