The City of Burnaby is the third-biggest city in B.C. so it’s no surprise that it has a massive system of trails.
With all of these trails, some people have their absolute favourites and use them so much, they become a bit of a second home.
For Chris Mann, this second home for the past 12 years is a dead-end trail at the eastern end of Burnaby Foreshore Park called Terminus Park – an “unofficial name,” according to a city map posted online.
It’s a wooded area that Mann says is infused with a “spirit of cooperative friendliness.”
The problem, according to Manny, is dogs are not allowed off their leashes, which “makes no sense at all,” he said.
“I have never seen dogs which are out of control, no walker has complained to me about dogs on the path, and a spirit of cooperative friendliness is the norm in this area,” Mann said.
So, he’s trying to rally other parks uses to lobby city hall to turn Terminus Park into an off-leash area.
“It's a perfect path for the dogs to be off leash as there are no roads and therefore no traffic,” Mann said. “Dogs are safe and there is no more or less wildlife there than in any other on- or off-leash park in Burnaby. There are dozens and dozens of other parks and trails in Burnaby for walkers/joggers … but very few areas where dogs can walk and romp safely off-leash on a path with their owners.”
Mann said he has seen an “increased vigilance” from bylaw officers on bicycles in the area giving people warnings or fines.
There is a seasonal off-leash area just west of Terminus at Byrne Creek and Mann hopes the same could be done with this heavily wooded area.
He is encouraging others to contact the city at [email protected] to show their support for this idea.
