Editor: There was a column by Anne Patterson in The Times of March 4, entitled “Langley equestrians need to follow Maple Ridge’s lead.”
It describes a meeting between Township Parks and Rec, council members and Langley trail users.
Noticeably absent from the meeting was any representation from the dog walkers of Langley.
Dog walkers are the largest group of parks users, yet we get short shrift from resource delegation, this being another example.
Langley is home to nearly 20,000 licensed dogs, a support industry that dwarfs both the equestrian and cycling businesses and has, by my research, the worst dog facilities in urban Canada.
It is fine for Patterson to hold Maple Ridge up as an example of a recreational model, but Maple Ridge provides five off-leash opportunities which include trail walking, swimming and a fairground field. Golden Ears Park also provides unlimited walking for dogs under voice control.
In addition, I would point out that Maple Ridge’s major trails are not municipal, but owned by the GVRD, and Bill Archibald and Dave Smith are volunteer representatives of the GVRD. The GVRD also provides first-class exclusive trail services for Langley equestrians in abundance.
The GVRD provides no system-wide input for dog walkers other than enforcement and no facilities in Maple Ridge.
If Langley Township is to emulate Maple Ridge’s animal-oriented recreation services, it might want to start with looking after our long- suffering tax- and fee-paying dog owners.
Peter Wood,
Langley Canine Club
