Park’s off-leash area has gone to the dogs
It’s a doggone shame, what’s happened to the off-leash area at Marie Curtis Park.
Where sand once covered the dog-run, in one of the busiest parks in the west end, a black cloth matting beneath has been exposed as the sand wore away, leaving dogs to do their business on a threadbare surface.
Nobody can claim that the city does not give dog owners their due, judging by the number of fenced-in areas created in parks over the last decade so that dogs have their own space in which to frolic and lift a leg.
Dogs are at least as important as people — more fun and a lot less trouble, too — which may be the thinking behind the city’s substantial investment in off-leash areas.
The one at Marie Curtis Park, on Lake Shore Blvd. W., is as nice as any, or it was until the surface sand at the north end started to disappear, exposing black cloth used as a buffer between the ground and the sand.
Rick Verner emailed to say he’s been taking his dog to Marie Curtis for six years and, “over that time, what used to be a sand covered surface has eroded, exposing landscap- ing material at first then wearing away to crushed stone.
“The landscaping material is quite the tripping hazard, I’ve seen people fall. The park looks very neglected.”
Verner added that he tried calling 311, but said he was “given a city works number which has landed me on an answering machine.”
We went to the park and found that much of the sand at the north end of the dog area had disappeared, exposing a huge amount of bunched-up black cloth that is indeed a tripping hazard and an eyesore. Status: Dona Kovachis, who’s in charge of Etobicoke parks, sent us a note saying “there are some challenges with this site that make the process a little more complex, including the dogs’ off-leash area being built on a former landfill site, hence requiring specialized materials and interdivisional collaboration. Having said that, we have initiated the process to restore the dogs’ off-leash area and plan for completion by spring 2018, providing there are no severe weather delays.” What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know.