The Municipality of Clarington has yet again begun the search for a new site for a dog park in North Bowmanville.
The resumption of the search follows a direction by Clarington Council to staff to cancel the planned construction of a previously approved off-leash dog park at Guildwood Park in Bowmanville.
A council announcement cited concerns raised by the local community.
“Staff have direction from council to pursue a dog park in north Bowmanville when an appropriately sized property becomes available as the area is developed in the future,” said the announcement indicating no fixed timeline.
Guildwood Vs Other Parks
A staff report in June recommended a 0.2-ha dog park at Guildwood Park and utilizing existing development reserves to fund the project.
Guildwood Park was identified as an appropriate location for a proposed dog park because it required no removal of existing park amenities and provided 200m of street frontage for parking without impacting residential access. The location also offered high recreational value due to its proximity to the Soper Creek Trail system.
Staff also found that the project could be implemented in late summer 2026 in tandem with the scheduled splash pad reconstruction.
Alternate Considered Sites
Northglen Park and Longworth Park were also evaluated due to their size. However, both sites present significant operational and community challenges that make them less suitable than Guildwood Park, the report said.
Staff pointed out that in 2025, unused budget of $195,553.89 was returned to the Parks and Recreation Development Charge Reserve Fund. It’s estimated that the same balance is enough to develop a dog park on the recommended site, inclusive of earthworks, fencing, and pathways.
Public Services had identified incremental annual costs of approximately $2,500 for garbage disposal and $2,500 per year for staff time, from existing staff.
Earlier Story
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