The City of Windsor will soon see an additional two off-leash dog parks, one on the east side and one in south Windsor.
City council approved the expansion motion at their regular meeting on Monday, to start the process of adding one in Elizabeth Kishkon Park and one Oakwood Park by the Capri Pizza Recreational Complex.
A staff report says each park would cost $400,000 to $450,000, with annual maintenance costing between $5,000 to $10,000.
Ward 1 councillor Fred Francis says during his eight years on council adding additional dog parks in the city has been a reoccurring ask.
"We were able to deliver a few years ago on a dog park in Malden Park, but the need remained. People still required those additional resources, and what really compounded the issue was COVID-19 and the lockdowns. A lot more people were staying home and a lot more people purchased pets."
Francis says during the pandemic is also when the asks regarding dog parks spiked up, so he's glad that council was able to deliver on something many in the community will use.
"I think they go a long way towards making our neighbourhoods stronger. These are amenities people want, people want to be able to go outside, walk their dog and go to a do park. And they don't have to worry about anything, they don't have to worry about the dog's safety and they don't have to worry about anything other than having a good time," he said.
He says the next step is going to be public consultations, and then if everything breaks the right way the parks might be ready by the end of this year.
"No drawbacks, no unforeseen circumstances, you might have at least the groundbreaking this year," he continued. "But there is a likelihood that you could have both parks done by the end of 2022."
There are currently four off-leash parks in the city limits, at Ford Test Track Dog Park, Optimist Memorial Dog Park, Remington Booster Dog Park and Malden Dog Park.