U of T dog ban saddens locals
Irresponsible owners led to the barring of canines from private property
If you’re a dog owner living near the University of Toronto, think twice before you bring your furry friend on campus.
Dogs have been banned from the green spaces at Victoria University and St. Michael’s College, with multiple signs posted throughout the grounds that say: Private property — no dogs allowed.
The signs prompted dog owner Ira Bernstein to write a letter of protest to university president Meric Gertler on Monday. A nearby resident, Bernstein is also a university alumnus and a lecturer in the department of family and community medicine.
Bernstein and his partner, who live near Charles and Bay Sts., noticed the signs after adopting their Rottweiler puppy, Tucker, five weeks ago. Bernstein’s main concern is that the area doesn’t have many places for owners to take their dogs.
“There isn’t a whole lot of green space in the neighbourhood,” he said. Bernstein walks Tucker in Queen’s Park, but he’d also like to access the U of T grounds closer to his home. He said he’s spoken to a number of area residents with similar concerns and has heard of one dog owner who got kicked off U of T property.
According to Victoria University, the signs, first placed in 2012, were prompted by irresponsible owners.
“The dog issue wasn’t a problem for us, but then there was a proliferation of (high-density) building around us,” said Ray deSouza, Victoria University’s bursar. Soon enough, the campus became the go-to place for owners to bring their dogs.
“They would urinate and defecate on the lawns, and then those very same lawns were used by our students and members of the community,” he said. He added that the signs aren’t meant to gate out the community.
“Our signs say no dogs, but we’ll not stop you if you have your dog on a leash and you’re walking through,” he said.
At St. Michael’s College, the ban is more straightforward: the administration does not want dogs on its property.
According to chief advancement officer Robert Edgett, it was instituted for the same reasons as at Victoria University, “with real regret on our part.” He said the college consulted with the nearby Bay-Cloverhill Community Association before taking action, and sent out a letter to nearby residents explaining the ban. Yet Bernstein, who has lived in the area since 1998, said he finds the neighbourhood’s dog owners to be mature.
“Their dogs are all on leashes, they’re all doing what a proper dog owner will do,” he said. “I’m not sure what harm is being done.”
A dog ban at these colleges is in line with U of T’s 2010 policy on the temporary use of space, which dictates that university lands are private property and the institution has the right to control the space. Likewise, the city of Toronto considers U of T property to be private.
It’s also not new for dog owners in the city to be tightly controlled. Municipal bylaws require all dogs in public to be licensed and on-leash at all times, unless at a designated offleash area.
Bernstein believes the colleges should look into a compromise that would allow dogs to enjoy the grounds.
“I feel that the university should be embracing responsible dogs and their owners.”