City of White Rock Coun. Scott Kristjanson went beyond the call of duty after the city received a complaint about dog debris on the promenade.
Kristjanson, who spoke to Peace Arch News Dec. 12 to provide an update on the controversial pilot project – to allow leashed dogs on the waterfront walk between Oct. 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020 – said that morning the city received a complaint about dog feces on the promenade and that he went on “doggy debris disposal duty.”
“I beat staff,” Kristjanson said, and offered to share photographs of him handling the business.
According to data presented to the Dogs on the Promenade task force, which Kristjanson sits as chairman, there were 31 complaints about the pilot project in the first 15 days it operated.
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From Oct. 13 to Nov. 8, the city received 31 complaints about the project from 11 individuals. In that time, bylaw officers wrote one ticket.
“Speaking as a councillor, I wish there was more (tickets written). I think we’re being too nice, but we don’t want to have a reputation as being a mean city either, so there’s a fine line,” he said.
Although majority of the correspondence the city has received has been negative, Kristjanson said he’s heard stories of how the pilot project positively affected seniors lives.
“We’ve had several seniors actually just gush about how happy they are about this,” Kristjanson said, adding that prior to the pilot some seniors – particularly if they are unable to drive to a different dog park – were “shut in.”
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“They’re meeting people in the community that they never met before. It feels like – and this is what they told us – that they’re part of the community for the first time in years,” he said.
Complaints the city has received about the project from Oct. 1 to Nov. 8 include defecation; dogs on the pier; wildlife interference and unleashed dogs. The city has not received a complaint for an aggressive dog or bites.
The project is to conclude March 31.
