BANFF – Banff’s two off-leash parks are closed because of hazards threatening the health and safety of dogs.
In the meantime, a 0.5-acre pop-up dog park was installed next to the one-acre permanent dog park at the recreation grounds late last week to provide a safe space for dogs to run free.
The 1.5-acre Hawk Avenue dog park in the industrial compound is closed effective June 13 because never-ending glass, nails and other hazardous objects continue to surface at the site, part of which was a former dumping ground of Canadian Pacific Railway in the 20th century.
In addition, the off-leash park at the recreation grounds was shut down due to a proliferation of foxtail grass, which can cause violent sneezing and nasal irritation in dogs, while embedded foxtail seeds can lead to serious infection in canines.
“It’s certainly unfortunate that both are being plagued with various safety-related issues,” said Mayor Corrie DiManno during a council meeting on Monday (June 12), thanking administrative for their quick response to the problems.
“We are very hopeful foxtail weed mitigation will be successful and that we can get that park reopened as soon as possible … and we can discuss the future of Hawk Avenue when we have more information.”
The permanent dog park at the recreation grounds, which opened in September 2021, was initially closed for the annual dry-out period earlier in spring, but the closure was extended last week due to a proliferation of foxtail weed and is not due to reopen until later in the summer.
Town of Banff officials say keeping the dog park closed for a period of time will also allow for targeted application of herbicide to kill the foxtail, which can be inhaled by dogs, get lodged in their ears, swallowed, and embedded in their paws.
“With the dog park closed for an extended time, we hope sod treatments and a period of rehabilitation will naturally subdue the spread of foxtail,” said Jason Darrah, the director of communications and marketing for the Town of Banff.
“The objective is to reopen the permanent off-leash dog park later this summer, but it will depend on the success of the rehabilitation.”
As for the Hawk Avenue off-leash dog park, administration made the decision to close the park at 8:30 a.m. on June 13 following ongoing complaints from dog owners about hazardous objects.
Kathy NcNeil, a long-time Banff resident who has raised concerns with the ongoing hazardous debris at the dog park for several years, wrote a letter to council on June 2 again after more hazardous material was found.
She said when she was at the dog park on June 1, another regular user of the dog park showed her a spot where several rusted nails, pieces of broken glass and rusted metal were found.
“Using a rock, she scratched the surface of the dirt and immediately found five 9 centimetre rusted nails,” she said, adding she had herself collected two containers of debris in the previous week.
“In 15 minutes, the two of us had several handfuls of rusted nails, pieces of broken glass and other pieces of rusted metal.”
Alison Gerrits, the director of community services for the Town of Banff, said administration will seek expert advice on how to best mitigate the Hawk Avenue dog park over the long-term, but there’s no timeline on how long a solution for Hawk Avenue will take.
She said previous attempts to undertake shallow excavation have not been successful, adding staff also do regular patrols of the off-leash dog park and signs warn of the potential hazards at the site, which opened in 2012.
“It was assumed that undertaking those activities would solve the issue, but they’re still unearthing material … and some pets have been injured,” said Gerrits.
“We're at the point where we’re made a decision to close until further notice and to determine if a permanent mitigation is possible, and if it is possible, what that will entail.”
An environmental assessment for the Hawk Avenue dog park site was completed, but administrative officials say the site contained an informal refuse pit in a single location linked to Canadian Pacific Railway activities in the past.
They say the area was completely remediated, and testing for soil contaminants was completed prior to the opening of the dog park.
“It was identified through background research and a site visit, and mitigations were prescribed for the particular area,” said Darren Enns, the director of planning and development.
“However, it looks like refuse disposal standards of the last century were not as precise as they were hoped to be.”
Coun. Chip Olver said it’s too bad the municipality didn’t realize how contaminated the site was prior to opening.
“None of our records indicated that it had ever been used in a way that would make it a dangerous location for a dog park,” she said.
“We haven’t treated this casually in the past. I think we’ve been really sincere in our efforts to make it safe, but just unsuccessful.”
If the site can’t be safely cleaned up, the Town of Banff will likely investigate other possible locations for a dog park.
Gerrits said that would have to be a conversation with Parks Canada.
“Certainly that would be something that would have to be done in very close communication with Parks to ensure there’s no environmental impact,” she said.
“Clearly, if we are left with one location, that would be a question we would have and we would endeavour to have that conversation.”
There are currently have 448 dog licenses issued in Banff.
