Road through popular dog park proving divisive

Users of a large and popular city dog park fear renovations that will cut a road through the expansive property will transform the serene space into a busy traffic route.

By contrast, the city expects the updated park would serve more people and make better use of its entire property.

Frequent visitors to the 48-hectare off-leash dog area in Kilcona Park, adjacent to Highway 59 in the northeast quadrant of the city, say it’s a well-loved spot that the road would disrupt.

“Putting a big road through that… park, it just seems so intrusive. It’s beautiful just the way it is, there’s prairie wildflowers, there’s wildlife,” said Tom Moody.

Moody, who has visited the dog park daily for eight years, said the city’s plan to add a central road with parking areas and a pedestrian/cycle path through the green space would cut off access to some popular dog-walking spots.

“I’m not against change just for the sake of it. (But) you’d think there might be a better plan that would be less intrusive that allows us to keep our park and its square footage,” he said.

Lisa Ziolkoski, an East St. Paul resident who regularly visits the park, said she worries the road would bring heavy traffic right through the green space, adding noise and safety risks.

“That’s a grave concern. Now you’ve got dogs who are used to running free in the park… off-leash and you’re… putting up a fence to keep them from getting to a new roadway,” said Ziolkoski. “For the human and dog safety, changing the flow of the park isn’t ideal.”

She said her dog was badly injured in a vehicle crash at the park’s entrance in 2023 and traffic has increased since then.

“All of the businesses that are in that area, when they let out… it’s traffic for hours. That traffic I could see definitely wanting to scoot right through the park instead (of waiting at traffic lights),” said Ziolkoski.

Residents enjoy walking their dogs along the water at the park in the winter, which would no longer be accessible under the proposal, she said.

Both residents said they don’t oppose the proposed pavilion or other improvements.

An online petition against the road being built through the park attracted more than 500 signatures by Thursday evening.

The city said the road is just one piece of a strategic renewal of Kilcona Park.

The municipal government budgeted $5 million for the first phase of renovations, which includes the road and a fenced off-leash dog area with accessible paths, shelters and other amenities.

The city will also demolish buildings at the Harbourview Park and Recreation Complex site (which is considered part of the property) and replace them with a four-season pavilion and renewed water access, wrote spokesman Adam Campbell, in an email.

A city map shows a long and curving road that will stretch north from Lagimodiere Boulevard and McIvor Avenue before heading south to run parallel to Springfield Road and end at the Harbourview complex.

Campbell said the changes follow public consultations on the park’s renewal, which were held in 2014, while fencing is meant to protect dogs from the new traffic.

“We expect to have some more detailed design plans and drawings to share this fall. On-site work is expected to begin in 2026 and continue into 2027,” wrote Campbell.

In 2013, residents also opposed past plans to update the park because the dog area would be reduced.

Despite the opposition, Coun. Jeff Browaty said the changes would still leave plenty of space for dogs and their owners, while better using some of its less popular areas.

“To better connect the park … the thought was to put through a central road … coming off of Lagimodiere at McIvor at the current entrance to the dog park. It will allow for the city to build (some) picnic … areas, open up pavilions,” said Browaty (North Kildonan).

He said the new road would make some parts of the park easier to access, since the Harbourview Park and Recreation Complex portion of the site can currently only be reached by vehicles from Springfield Road.

“The only way to get it is to go down a 70 km/h industrial road. That’s been identified as a limiting factor to being able to access it,” said Browaty.

The councillor said long-awaited city funding was only recently set aside to revamp the park and improvements are long overdue.

“This is part of a plan that is about a dozen years old, but we’re finally moving forward with some improvements of the park next year,” he said.

The councillor stressed the dog park area would remain “massive” even after the changes are implemented, though he did not have the exact size.

He said the road is not expected to add a significant amount of traffic to the park.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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