The City of Vaughan values the opinions of its residents and is committed to consulting with the community to obtain strategic advice and input into the development of a new local off-leash dog area strategy. Feedback collected through the public engagement process will help the City understand the needs of dog owners and help shape the development of future recommendations.   

Several opportunities for feedback and input have been made available and will continue to be in the future. Opportunities for engagement include:      

1.     Stakeholder group meetings and pop-up events 

The City of Vaughan and the consultant team hired to co-ordinate the consultation process, which began in September 2019, held stakeholder workshop meetings. The workshops included dog owners who expressed interest in working with the City to provide input on local off-leash dog areas, including desired locations, design, operations and maintenance. At these meetings, strategies to address potential issues were discussed and criteria for future locations was addressed. In addition to the stakeholder workshops, ten pop-ups were held at various City events to update citizens about the study. Individuals were also given the opportunity to share their own ideas and goals for future local off-leash dog areas by identifying sites on a City map. The online survey was also actively promoted.

2.     Online Survey  

In December 2019, the City launched an online survey to learn more from Vaughan’s citizens about local off-leash dog areas – participants were asked what their ideal off-leash dog area could look like, and which features, locations and amenities they would like to see in the spaces. More than 900 responses were collected. The survey closed on July 13, 2020. Thank you to those who participated. Access survey findings by viewing the presentation below.  

3.     Online Workshop *NEW*  

To date, the City has: 

• Completed background research on off-leash dog area best practices
• Reviewed approaches taken by other cities in Ontario
• Conducted an online survey and held workshops with citizens and stakeholders
• Reviewed more than 70 locations and identified the top eight recommended pilot locations 

By participating in this online self-directed workshop, you will: 

• Learn about the Local Off-Leash Dog Area Strategy and key findings to-date
• Review and provide feedback on the eight recommended pilot locations
• Let us know if you are interested in becoming an Off-Leash Dog Area Steward to help move one of the recommended pilot locations forward 

Join the conversation. View this video and participate in an online self-directed workshop until Aug. 31, 2020 to learn more about the Local Off-Leash Dog Area Strategy and key findings to-date. As well, participants will have the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the eight recommended pilot locations and indicate if there is interest in joining the Off-Leash Dog Area Stewardship Program at one of the pilot locations. 

The workshop only takes 15 minutes to complete. 

4.     Background Material and Recommended Pilot Locations *NEW* 

For additional background material we invite you to download this presentation in PDF format which includes:   

• Background research
• Brief history
• Local off–leash dog area etiquette
• General layout of a local off-leash area
• Site selection process
• What we hear so far from the survey and community workshops
• Evaluation matrix and site selection criteria
• Local Off-Leash Dog Area Stewardship Program
• Reviewed locations
• Identified the top eight recommended pilot locations 

View the detailed background information about this study (PDF) 

Site Selection Process 

5.     Recommended Pilot Locations Illustrations *NEW* 

For detailed illustrations on the recommended local off-leash pilot locations a PDF of the eight locations and a city-wide map (PDF) is downloadable here.