Dogs now allowed on White Rock promenade, part of pilot project

WHITE ROCK (NEWS 1130) – As of Tuesday, the ban on walking dogs on the White Rock promenade has been lifted – temporarily.

Dogs are only allowed along the waterfront over the next six months. It’s a pilot project which sparked heated debate earlier this year, and still has critics.

Mahsa Sorya, who lives in the area, has been raising concerns about people who don’t pick up after their pets and the safety of seniors.

RELATED: White Rock to allow dogs on city’s promenade during off-season

“My mum, who is 88 years old, doesn’t want to go there and be entangled with dogs and fall down and hurt her hips. For sure that’s going to affect us. I know we’re not going to use the promenade anymore,” she says.

“There are very few places that people who do not like dogs, or dog feces, or dog urine in their neighbourhood, that they can go and have a picnic. The promenade used to be one of those places and they’re taking that away from us.”

Despite the concerns, city council voted in February to go ahead with the plan.

Sorya says the city has been unclear on what the pilot project will test or be able to prove.

“There is nothing to be said as to what are the parameters for success,” she says. “So it’s like saying we’re losing weight, but we don’t know what the starting point is, and what the end point is.”

While dogs are now allowed on the promenade, they’re still banned on the beach.