Corktown dogs to get own park

By Frank Touby —

Long-suffering Corktown dog owners are soon to have their off-leash park, says area Coun. Pam McConnell. So, in fact, are others throughout the city. But Corktowners will hear about theirs first in a public meeting scheduled June 23 from 7 – 9 p.m. in Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. And their dog park will be in the location many had given up as lost: so-called Orphan’s Park, the somewhat triangular-shaped patch off Power St. that separates the ramps for Adelaide St. E. and Richmond St. E. to and from the Don Valley Parkway.

Like many in Toronto, Corktown dog walkers have considered themselves assaulted by bylaw-enforcement officers slapping them with staggering fines when caught with their dogs off leash.

For them, it will be a fully dedicated off-leash park, probably the only such in the city. That’s because Orphan’s Park is a site of burials from St. Paul’s Basilica, some of which occurred during the tragic cholera epidemic of 1843.

That means there are no competing interests for that unused patch of land, which wasn’t in the inventory of the city Parks department, but was “owned” by another city silo, the Facilities and Real Estate bureaucracy with its hydra-headed structure.

It had to be declared surplus to that silo’s needs, which has happened, and all obstacles are overcome, says McConnell.

McConnell attributes the long delays in getting off-leash parks having to do with the multiple city departments that must weigh in before anything can happen. She says the Corktowners park should be in place pretty soon. She acquired the funds to build fencing from a developer’s mandatory public benefits contribution.

Another area park, St. James’ at Church and King St. E., is due for a public hearing which has not been set but should be in the near future, says McConnell. Park users will be asked to submit their proposals for the various uses, including off-leash areas. Whether those will be fenced or merely time restricted in St. James is to be decided later and likely as a result of public consultations.

Because of citizen dissent especially in the Harbourfront area, McConnell says, previously planned public meetings on the issue throughout the city were cancelled and must be rescheduled. She says the bureaucracy wants to deal with all new off-leash park matters at once.

Among the areas in contention is Roundhouse Park, which a number of area dog owners favour for off-leash use. It’s currently on-leash only with signs warning dog owners they may be fined.