On Nov. 4, a Whitehorse dog training group asked city council to reverse a decision it claims city administration made unilaterally.
The Whitehorse Woofers explained during their delegation that they had been using the field behind the Takhini Arena for their dog training activities since 2006.
However, according to the Woofers, the city’s parks and recreation department apparently decided to change the area from a dog training facility to an off-leash dog park with uncontrolled access.
Hillary Hatton, the delegate for the Woofers, said the group uses the field for over 200 hours of formal classes, plus an additional 100 to 150 hours of drop-in sessions, full-day weekend seminars, trials and independent dog training.
“The city provided no consultation with affected stakeholders, and prior notice was not given to user groups of this change,” said Hatton. “The use of the dog-training facility as a public dog park is incompatible and contrary to the historically recognized use of this field.”
Carol Foster, a delegate from the Woofers, confirmed the group was asking that the space be used for dog sports only.
Hatton said the change would restrict dog trainers from renting the field as they have done previously.
However, city manager Jeff O’Farrell said the space will continue to be bookable.
Upon being asked by Coun. Dan Boyd regarding the alleged decision, O’Farrell said he wasn’t sure that a decision would be appealed.
“What seems to be at issue here is the exclusive use of the site by a community group,” said O’Farrell. "Our policies don't provide for exclusive uses of sites like that. So, I'm not sure what decision that you’re referring to.”
A city representative told the News via email the space’s designation had not changed, and it has always been a recreational facility bookable by users.
The decision was an operational one, handled at the department level, said the representative in the Nov. 7 email.
Hatton said the group pays $4,000 to the city to rent the field over the summer months. The city director of community services, Krista Mroz, later told council the Woofers pay $4,000 over the summer for both use of the field and storage unit.
Mroz specified the space was to be an off-leash dog area, not a dog park, which she said has more amenities.
O’Farrell said as a bookable space, the area is accessible by any number of community groups in the city. He said city policies do not accommodate the exclusive use of a space by one single group.
Jocelyn Laveck, the president of the Whitehorse Woofers, shared with the News an email she received from Mélodie Simard, manager of parks and community development. The email is dated Feb. 15, 2024. The same email was also later shared with the News by the city.
In the email, Simard refers to the city providing “exclusive access” to the area for the Woofers. She goes on to write the space has been identified as a potential location for new amenities which would be constructed as early as 2025.
“Please accept this letter as formal notice that the exclusive seasonal rental of the Recreational Space behind the Takhini Arena will no longer be available to Whitehorse Woofers starting in 2025,” Simard wrote towards the end of the letter.
Laveck, in an email to the News sent on Nov. 7, said it is “absolutely not true” the Woofers had exclusive access. Any dog training group is able to apply to rent the field, she said. She wrote that over the years other dog clubs have dissolved or moved to using school fields as they were not ready to pay the rent.
Laveck added the Woofers have been able to pay the rent “because we hold classes throughout the entire summer and have volunteer trainers.” Laveck later told the News the Woofers charge $30 per person per one-hour class, which usually has no more than six students.
Laveck also shared another letter sent to the Woofers on July 11 from Mroz.
In the letter, Mroz said the area behind the arena had been identified for new amenities, but the city required more time to consider options for the location. She said for the time being the space would remain an area for dog owners and enthusiasts, and said there may be "minor improvements" to the space as well as a "revised booking approach" developed by the parks and recreation department.
"The Whitehorse Woofers are welcome to continue to book the space, but would no longer have exclusive use of the area," Mroz said in the letter.
At the committee meeting, Mroz said the city has heard from dog owners across the city seeking off-leash dog areas. As the space behind the Takhini arena is central and already designed for dogs, she said opening it up made sense for the city.
“That's part of what we're looking at, is to balance the needs of the whole community while still maintaining the service that is being provided to the dog handlers, but also allowing the broader community access to this service,” said Mroz.
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
